Stranded: Collision
by redstarsarc
Summary: When Scepter 4 uncovers the mysterious Rosen Gate, the clans become embroiled in a centuries-old war with the Noah. Kuroh, Shiro, and Neko travel to the past in order to gain the help of the last remnants of the extinct Black Order but soon learn that the Akuma are not the only threat they must face. Rated T for violence.
1. Chapter 1

**It's been a while but I'm back and taking a break from Doctor Who to write this, my first anime crossover which I am very excited about! There is really not much for me to say except that I hope you enjoy it :)**

* * *

Chapter 1

It was raining when he got the call. Munakata listened patiently to what the caller had to say, murmured an acknowledgment, and then hung up. He'd been waiting all evening for the this and it confirmed his suspicions.

Looking up from his desk, he summoned his second-in-command, Awashima, who was standing by the door in her blue uniform with the short skirt, a sheaf of papers in her arms. Her hair was neatly pinned back and her posture perfect.

"Bring the car around," Munakata said.

"Sir." Awashima turned on her heel and left.

Munakata steepled his fingers and glanced down at the file on his desk. It was marked TOP SECRET. Not even the true authorities of Japan knew what was in that file. Its contents took top priority, over the Strains, over conflicts with the other clans, all of whom were unaware of what SCEPTER 4 had discovered. It was perhaps the greatest discovery since that of the Dresden Slate unearthed during World War II.

It was giving him a headache. Ever since the excavation, his paperwork had tripled, despite offloading some of it on poor Awashima and Fushimi, both of whom already had heavy enough loads as it was.

The window was streaked with rain. The lights of the city glared against the darkness and Munakata sighed. Pushing his glasses higher up the bridge of his nose, he stood and collected his jacket.

The drive to the wharf was mostly done in silence against the smooth sound of the car engine and the pattering of the rain. Munakata sat in the back seat, looking out at the city, his face so close to the window that he could feel its chill. He closed his eyes. Just briefly, but even then, the visions flashed through his mind.

 _The Sword of Damocles crumbled and came crashing down in a final brilliant display. He felt his saber penetrate flesh and it slid through so easily. The Red King's blood splattered onto his uniform and he didn't flinch when he felt its warmth on his hands as the king slumped against him._

Munakata opened his eyes, dispelling the vision. No, he did not regret his actions that day. He'd done what had to be done and he held no remorse for that. His last doubts had fled when the Red Clan's new king had forgiven him. No, it was the burden of a different sort that now weighed heavily upon his shoulders.

They soon arrived at the wharf. A single warehouse stood illuminated by construction lights and around it were strewn several heavy pieces of equipment and an assortment of vehicles. Blue-clad figures came and went from the warehouse and made adjustments to the equipment which was perched on concrete slabs and now covered with tarps. Munakata took this all in at a glance as he stepped out of the car to find Awashima waiting for him with an umbrella.

At first, Awashima was quiet and he thought she would stay that way. She opened her mouth, then closed it, tried again.

"You've been thinking about it again," she said finally. There was no need to elaborate. Both of them knew what she meant.

"The Red Clan is growing strong again," Munakata said. "We'll need to keep an eye on them."

"Their king is a child. Do you really think…?"

Munakata allowed himself a wry grin. "I wouldn't underestimate her. She has no interest in waging war, but she will do all in her power to protect her clan."

Awashima wasn't prone to revealing her emotions. Emotions were distracting. She much preferred the calm, cold-hearted façade she maintained at all times. But this time, she raised a brow and Munakata saw the mild confusion on her face out of the corner f his eye. She was expecting an answer but he elected not to give her one. Instead, he opened the door into the warehouse and gazed upon the object that had captured the interest of the entire Blue Clan so intently they wished to focus on nothing else.

A third of the way into the expansive warehouse, the hard ground gave way to dark soil, a ragged crater in the ground. Protruding from the soil and deeply embedded into the surrounding rock was a large gray ring with strange symbols carved into its surface. The structure measured at 6.71 meters across with a ring thickness of 88 centimeters. It had been too old and too merged with the earth to be removed from its original site and so this warehouse had been hastily erected around it. All of this would have been impressive enough if Munakata hadn't seen it multiple times already. What he focused on now was the fact that the symbols on its surface were glowing.

* * *

A young man ran down the street, panting. He slipped on the rain-slickened pavement and nearly toppled but managed to get his balance again. He swerved into an alley between two buildings, nimbly vaulted over a cleaning robot ("Show some respect!"), and dashed into an adjoining street. All the while, a shadowy figure all clad in black kept pace from above.

The man wasn't even out of breath, not even after having run several blocks. Again he found himself in an alley, this one ending in a stone wall. He braced himself, ready to grab the ladder of the nearby fire escape to get over the wall. Instead, a wave of dizziness washed over him and he nearly collided with the thing that appeared directly between him and the wall. It was absurd, like a giant inflatable cat that stared down at him with large eyes. He hesitated, his mind immediately coming to the conclusion that it wasn't real, but it was more than enough. Something snagged his legs and he went down, softening the fall with his hands. His glasses fell off and clattered to the ground.

He flipped over into a sitting position, his hands propping him up, just in time to see his pursuer lowering himself into the alley with the aid of a ghostly hand he projected from his real one.

The man on the ground smirked, even when he was grabbed by the front of his shirt and was made to look into his pursuer's harsh eyes.

"Are you ready to tell us now?" Kuroh asked.

The man didn't answer right away. He looked out from under curly black hair weighed down by the rain. Kuroh was taken aback by the man's calm and the grin which he found annoying. Finally, the man sighed.

"I led you on a merry chase, hmm?"

Kuroh gritted his teeth. He felt the comforting weight of Kotowari by his side. "No more games. What is your clan planning?"

The man continued to smirk and something new came into his eyes, something hard and cruel. "I wonder how SCEPTER 4 is faring," he said. "I hear they've made quite a discovery."

Kuroh couldn't help the widening of his eyes at that statement. It had been a while since he'd last had any run-ins with the Blue Clan. Were these people planning to attack them? And then – that smirk widened – no, he realized the attack had already begun.

Seeing the realization dawning on his face, the man said, "Well, it's been fun." His skin darkened visibly and Kuroh caught a glimpse of some type of marking hidden beneath his hair. "But I really must be going."

He pressed one hand to Kuroh's chest and before the boy could react, he was thrown back violently into the wall of the building and only his Silver aura, which flared instinctively at the attack, saved him when his head cracked against the wall. Still, he was shocked, disoriented. Through blurry vision, he saw the man stand up and brush himself off nonchalantly before running a hand through his unruly hair. A light jump took him clean over the wall and then he was gone.

Kuroh growled low in his throat, frustrated at having let him escape and ashamed at how easily he'd been defeated. He clambered to his feet just as Shiro and Neko ran into the alley, Shiro still with that red parasol of his.

"Kuroh!" the Silver King exclaimed upon seeing his friend.

"It was a trap," Kuroh answered the unsaid question. "He was toying with us, trying to lure us away from where we really need to be." Kuroh winced and rubbed at his chest where the man had shoved him. "They're going to attack SCEPTER 4."

Shiro nodded. "Then we'd better get going." He shifted his parasol from one hand to the other and for a moment, Kuroh caught sight of the end of a newly healed scar peeking out from under his sleeve, a scar that stretched from the back of the white-haired boy's hand all the way up to the elbow of his right arm.

"Right," Kuroh said. The three clansmen, using their ability to manipulate gravity, easily made it to the rooftops and nearly soared their way to the wharf.

* * *

Dr. Fujioka Takumi, SCEPTER 4's lead scientist, approached Munakata with a greeting too casual to befit a king. Oblivious to – or just ignoring – Awashima's glare, he launched into an explanation.

"The Gate started glowing at 21:45," he said. "We've detected trace amounts of alpha radiation but nothing that poses an immediate danger. But…as a safety precaution, I'd advise you not to get too close." His manner was straight to the point, but he sounded like he was reading it straight off his PDA.

Munakata nodded. Taking the scientist's warning, he didn't move too close. However, he did step down onto the soil for a better look. Two of Fujioka's team were taking readings, wearing light protective clothing. The symbols were made up of radial lines with the center of the gate as their focal point. Graceful curves and curlicues extended from these lines. If it was some type of language, no one had been able to decipher it so far. Their glow seemed more substantial then mere light, as if the Rosen Gate, as it had come to be called, was coursing with energy.

A tremor loosened the soil under Munakata's feet, but it was so slight it could barely be felt. He looked down at the ground where the dirt and rocks gently slid farther into the crater the workers had dug. He narrowed his eyes in suspicion. The ground shuddered again, this time stronger, and he had to take a step back to keep his balance.

"Get away from the Gate!" he ordered.

Seconds later, the glowing intensified and the Gate throbbed with energy and several bolts of what could only be described as looking like blue lightning shot from the ring and met in the Gate's center in a tangle of shuddering, unstable energy. The two workers at the Gate had retreated, one of them falling over backward from the shock.

Munakata had flinched from the display, one arm in front of his face from the sudden intensity of the light. But he didn't move from his position. Awashima and Fujioka had moved to his side and he ignored his lieutenant's forceful suggestion to retreat to the warehouse's front wall. His eyes remained fixed on the Gate in fascination.

The tangled knot of energy writhed and throbbed and grew. When it reached a substantial size, a dark figure appeared, first as a tiny dot in the midst of the crackling blue and then becoming larger until Munakata could make out arms and legs and a head.

He instinctively reached for the hilt of his saber. "Ready your swords," he ordered. He drew his weapon as did his clansmen and they stood at the ready, waiting until the figure arrived and revealed its intentions.

The figure dropped to the ground in a crouch and for a moment, Munakata thought he recognized him until he caught a glimpse of the man's face and knew he was mistaken. There was a hard glare in his eyes and his mouth twisted into a sardonic grin. He stood tall then, and in one hand he held a sword. Feeling his own heart begin to quicken, Munakata braced himself, the order to attack resting on his lips.

* * *

She could see the warehouse from her perch on the tall building. Her legs casually dangled over the side but she perked up when she sensed the sudden commotion from within the warehouse.

"Looks like the party's about to start," she said and then smiled at the thought. "I sure don't want to miss out on the fun, so you go bring the guests." She sensed the creature's reluctance and added, "Do it or I'll tell the Earl on you."

Suddenly obedient in the face of possible injury, the thing replied, "Yes, Lero!"

* * *

The newcomer was quick. Before anyone could react, his sword snapped out in a short arc and one of the scientists who'd been working on the Gate toppled, blood welling from the deep slice to his chest.

Without hesitation, Munakata rushed the intruder, ignoring Awashima's "Captain!" as he brought his sword into an offensive position. He had the man in his sights, sword still dripping blood as he glared from beneath heavy bangs. Then suddenly he was gone and Munakata skidded to a halt, confused, gritting his teeth. The man could not simply have disappeared and a moment later, Munakata looked up. Their blades clashed hard as the man came down in his attack and Munakata's Blue Aura flared.

They pulled away and then the man attacked again, trying to throw Munakata off guard. The Blue King parried and let out an involuntary grunt. His opponent was strong!

Several of his clansmen descended upon the man, their swords out in front. Without skipping a beat, he whirled, hair flying, and parried and dodged with such speed that no blade came close to hitting him. One clansman was slashed across the chest and another was defeated when his sword hand fell severed to the ground.

Munakata could sense an otherworldly power emanating from the attacker, an aura like that granted by the Dresden Slate and yet alien. Behind him, the Rosen Gate still glowed and the knot of energy, which had shrunk to its original size, continued to crackle and pulsate.

"Fujioka, shut that thing down!" Munakata saw the scientist's hurried nod as well as the confusion on his face bordering on panic. The Blue King cursed inwardly. Of course Fujioka would try but the truth was no one even knew how it worked. He cursed again, this time out loud. With anyone else, excepting the kings, SCEPTER 4 should have been able to neutralize the threat already. That they hadn't was worrying and they couldn't afford to let any more powerful individuals through that Gate.

The man cut down another clansman and Munakata went in for another attack, but before he could, the ground shook from a sudden explosion and a portion of the warehouse roof was gone, twisted rubble flying through the air. Some of it caught Munakata in the back and he flinched from the sharp pain. Through the hole, he could see something floating in the sky like some giant earth node bristling with cannons. He'd never seen anything like it. It fired a cannon and the chaos was complete when another chunk of ceiling was torn away and debris scattered. One man was killed on impact, several others injured. Munakata could only stare in horror as those who seemed to have escaped death developed pentagram-shaped marks on their bodies and they disintegrated before his eyes.

It was still raining and the soil was soon churned into mud. The rain streaked his glasses and blurred his vision so bad he discarded them to rely on his own impaired vision.

"Awashima!" he called to his lieutenant and he pointed up at the sky. "Gather a team and fall back. We have a possible hostile Strain situation."

He didn't wait for Awashima's acknowledgement, knowing she would do just as he ordered. The warehouse was being demolished all around him and in the chaos he'd lost track of the man who had started it all. Wiping sopping wet hair out of his eyes, he started for Fujioka and the Rosen Gate just as a third shot blasted another section and Munakata was thrown off his feet. His head hit a rock and he must have blacked out for a second. The next thing he knew, he was dizzy, his vision swimming, and a voice was saying, "Boss, you alright?" He winced and saw Fujioka's face above his. Grunting an acknowledgement, Munakata forced himself to his feet and grabbed for his fallen saber in the mud.

There was a stinging pain in his side and his head throbbed but as he surveyed the damage that had been done, he came to a realization.

"It's only attacking the outer walls. Whatever that thing is, it wants the Gate intact."

"I-I don't think I can shut it down," Fujioka said. "We don't even know what powers it. I'm sorry."

Munakata understood but he didn't accept sorry's. Taking the scientist's hand, he laid it over the pommel of the saber at his belt. "Then you take this and you stand in front of the Gate. Anything comes through, don't give it a chance to attack. You can ask questions later."

Fujioka nodded shakily and went for the Gate.

Out of the corner of his eye, Munakata saw movement from above, a shadowy figure with dark hair. He whipped around and his saber flashed.

He halted then, the anger in his eyes dying to be replaced with confusion. "Black Dog?"

Yatogami Kuroh stood before him, having blocked his saber swing with his sword sheathe. A Silver Aura lit up his dark silhouette and his mouth was set in a firm line. When the pressure against his block lessened, Kuroh lowered the sheathe.

"We heard you were in trouble. Sorry we're late," Kuroh said with a short bow.

"How did you know to come here?"

The corners of Kuroh's mouth lifted in a slight grin. "Did you think you could do a lot of digging and then build this warehouse and none of the other clans would know about it?"

When he put it that way…

Behind Kuroh, he saw Isana and the other clansman, the female Strain. Giving a slight bow in Shiro's direction, he said, "Then we accept the Silver Clan's aid."

Another cannon shot blasted through the warehouse.

* * *

On the far side of the warehouse, Fushimi braced himself, his Blue Aura expanding to encompass his sword. His other hand glowed red as he slipped two throwing knives expertly from his sleeve. With a deft flick of his wrist, he sent one and then another flying at the intruder. The first missed, the man's movements taking him out of its path. The second hit him in the shoulder.

Something flashed in the man's eyes. He grabbed the knife and tore it out, letting it fall to the ground in a cascade of blood. The wound must have hurt but he seemed not to notice, not even when the fabric of his coat darkened with wet.

Fushimi was completely unfazed by the glare. He met the man's attacks with a quick block and counterstrike. His attacker leaped back and brought his sword across in a low arc, sweeping it at Fushimi's legs. Fushimi leaped over the blade and whipped out another knife, sent it flying. It ricocheted off the man's sword as he raised it and slashed it at Fushimi's chest. Fushimi staggered back, a sudden stinging pain in his chest. A thin line of blood seeped through the new tear in his uniform. If he'd reacted a second too late, things could have been much worse.

Gritting his teeth, Fushimi attacked with renewed determination, slashing his saber in short, controlled movements, quickening his footwork, testing his opponent. He fell into the rhythm of it, locking his gaze on the other man's face. Then he saw something there, a wicked glint in those dark eyes and his mouth twisted into a horrible grin and though hardly anything rattled Fushimi, this did.

A single quick movement and Fushimi's saber went flying from his hand. Then he was on the ground, a sword thrust through the right side of his chest. He gasped and couldn't help the grunt of pain that escaped him. His teeth ground together and sweat shone on his brow.

The man, still with that unnerving expression, leaned over him, putting a hand on his chest. "How does it feel to die?" he said and Fushimi didn't grace him with an answer. "I bet it's…exhilarating."

"Tch," was all Fushimi could muster, defiant even in the face of his own end.

* * *

The creature continued its relentless attack and Munakata wasn't sure how much longer he could keep this up. He and Awashima, and all his clansmen who could were focusing intently on maintaining the shield he'd erected. Beside him, Shiro and Kuroh were doing their best to add their strength to the defenses, a silver shield that lay overtop the blue one. But still the cannons kept firing and as if that weren't bad enough, two more of the hovering creatures had joined in the siege.

Munakata was sweating with the effort but it all seemed to be in vain. He was nearing the point of exhaustion and those creatures kept battering at the shields, sure to take them down before long. He heard a female voice suddenly shout something, felt a wave of disorientation.

Then the shields fell.

* * *

When the wave hit them, Fushimi used it to his advantage. He gripped a throwing knife in his hand, his last one, and buried it deep in the other man's hand. The annoying, oh so annoying, grin was gone in a flash and the man let out a cry of pain, instinctively gripping his hand, blood streaming down his arm.

He staggered backward as if he'd lost his balance and a peculiar look came into his eyes.

Then there was silence.

* * *

One moment, all had been chaos, the next, silence. The shouts and the cannon fire had ceased. The Blue Clansmen and the man who'd come through the portal were gone. The warehouse was completely empty except for Kuroh, Shiro, Neko, and the still activated Rosen Gate. The air had an unnatural pinkish-white hue to it.

"W-what?" Kuroh said. "Neko, are you doing this?"

"There's not much time," the girl said softly. The fighting might have ceased for a moment, but they would soon see through the illusion.

"Neko," Shiro said. "What are you doing?"

Neko looked down at her feet and then glanced at the Gate behind her but this was no time for indecision. "I-I know how we can stop this," she said finally. "We have to go through that."

"Neko…you don't even know what that is," Kuroh said.

"It's where the answers are."

Kuroh was taken aback. It wasn't like her to be so cryptic and where had she come by this information, anyway?

"I think she's right," Shiro said.

"Eh?"

"I don't know what it is, but there's something about that Gate, about this whole situation…I just…I trust that what she says is right."

Neko moved closer to the Rosen Gate and nearly stuck her nose in the knot of energy at its center. Shiro was looking at Kuroh, who bit his lip. Sure, ever since he had found the Silver King again, he had seemed so different as what had once been Adolf K. Weismann had settled in alongside Shiro's own personality.

"I don't know anything more about this than you do," Shiro continued. "But I trust Neko and I'm willing to take a leap of faith for that trust. Are you?"

Still, Kuroh hesitated. They as clansmen had come a long way from their first meeting as enemies. A lot had happened in that time and Kuroh had learned to trust them, to fight by their side.

"I'm going," Shiro said. He held a hand out to his vassal. "Will you follow your king?"

The illusion was already starting to break up. They could hear faint shouts, they could hear the sound of the hovering creatures lining up more shots as the shields fell away. There really wasn't anything more to it.

Kuroh grasped his hand. The three of them approached the Rosen Gate.

And took a leap of faith.


	2. Chapter 2

**First off, this story got more attention than I thought it would, so thank you to everyone for the reviews/follows. Just to clarify, this takes place after Missing Kings and in some random DGM AU in which Allen returned to the Black Order after recruiting Krory and so hasn't received Crown Clown yet. This is because I decided to write this story when my memory of the manga was a bit hazy. But not to worry, I am rereading the series even as we speak! Also, I have changed to lowercase Scepter 4 because uppercase SCEPTER 4 was bugging me. Anyway, you didn't come here to hear me ramble. So without further ado...**

* * *

Chapter 2

Allen Walker kept running even after his legs wanted him to stop and his side hurt. His eye throbbed but he'd momentarily deactivated his anti-akuma weapon. He kept his gaze trained on the fast-flowing Thames as he ran along its shore. So far, he could see nothing. Still, he continued to scan the waters.

Lavi was running alongside him. "Akuma at ten o'clock!" the redhead shouted and without a break in stride, he extended his hammer, riding it up into the sky. Allen stopped in his current course and with a muttered "Activate!" he followed his comrade. He only glanced back once. Kanda would have to fend for himself.

There were several akuma incoming, all level two. Allen aimed for the one that looked like an amorphous mass with several pairs of insectile wings, most of which looked too twisted or torn to keep it in the sky. A vaguely human face stared out of the mass, its mouth a gaping maw with rows of long, needle teeth. It fixed its cannons on Allen and started firing. With renewed vigor, even after the long night they'd had, he nimbly dodged the attacks and extended his left arm, the hand disproportionately large and sporting sharp talons. One swipe and the akuma was torn apart.

More came in for the attack and as Allen alighted on a rooftop, he transformed his arm into a cannon and fired energy palings into the akuma. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lavi taking out another with his hammer.

A giant bullet nearly grazed Allen in its passing and he turned to see another akuma rising up over the rooftop. His mouth set in a firm line, he swung his cannon around and fired.

The battle was over in no time. Allen and Lavi deactivated their weapons and returned to the shore of the Thames.

"Man, they really don't know how to give a guy a break, huh?" Lavi said, stretching his arms behind his head.

Allen merely shook his head. For the past two weeks, Komui had had them traveling all over the country responding to reports of akuma attacks. They'd attacked half a dozen towns in droves and while the exorcists hadn't had much trouble dealing with them, it seemed the attacks would never stop. Just when they were looking forward to a good sleep, the akuma had come again.

When a figure appeared before them, Allen stopped, both relieved and a little guilty.

"What are you looking at, Beansprout?"

"Oh…uh." Allen looked away, anything but at that hard glare. "Glad to see you're okay."

"Tch." Kanda was soaking, water dripping from his uniform and marking the trail he'd taken. His hair hung over his eyes, only serving to increase the air of menace that surrounded him. The three exorcists had been following the sounds of attack when they'd been taken by surprise. An unusual akuma in the form of an eel with talon-tipped legs had exploded out of the Thames, wrapped one appendage around Kanda's legs, and pulled him right in. But it seemed that even in the monster's grip and submerged in the swift, confusing current, Kanda had come out on top.

"Let's go," Kanda said, walking in the direction of the inn they were staying at.

Lavi exchanged a look with Allen and then shrugged. They both followed, trudging wearily toward a hopeful night's sleep.

* * *

The headquarters of the Black Order stood tall and imposing against the night sky and nearly impregnable. Yes, he rather liked dwelling on that key word "nearly."

Tyki Mikk sat on a rooftop observing the structure from a distance, leisurely smoking a cigarette. He thought of the exorcists and their scientists, totally unaware of the threat practically sitting on their front porch. Sighing, he closed his eyes, reveling in the simple feeling of the cool night breeze against his skin and through his hair.

"There you are, Tyki-pon."

Oh how irritating that nickname was. Tyki opened his eyes to see the Millenium Earl perched lightly on the rooftop with that ridiculous perpetual grin. "The others are waiting."

Another meeting. Tyki took his time in reply, letting his boredom be known in the way he lazily brought the cigarette to his mouth and then blew out a stream of smoke. "They can go on without me. You don't need to wait."

"Aww," the Earl said. "I know it's boring but the fun will come soon enough. You'll want to know what I'm planning for all of you."

Tyki didn't like these family meetings. Road would try to get him to play a game with her afterward. Skinn would stay unnervingly quiet. The twins would be as irritating as ever. And the Earl would expect them all to act like some happy family planning death and destruction. On the other hand, the idea of destruction was quite appealing.

"Whatever." Tyki got to his feet, flicking the cigarette butt into a gutter. He'd go along with it just as he always did. Still, he cast a glance back at the castle that housed the Black Order and the corners of his mouth twitched upward in a grin of anticipation.

* * *

Lavi was snoring from the moment he hit the bed. Allen was sitting in a chair looking out the small window at the starlit town. As much as he wanted to get some sleep, his mind wouldn't rest. He kept thinking of the increased akuma activity. While he, Kanda, and Lavi were busy destroying akuma in the London area, Lenalee and Krory had been sent to Dublin and Miranda and Marie were even now on their way to some town in Switzerland. He imagined the Black Order headquarters must be pretty quiet about now. Something nagged at him, an uncomfortable thought and he itched to get back home. The sooner the better.

He thought about voicing his concerns and then realized the only one who would listen to him was fast asleep, still in his uniform. Kanda had gotten a change of clothes and was busy toweling off his long hair. Definitely not the ideal person to talk to.

Allen could feel his head growing heavy with exhaustion and decided to call it a night. He wouldn't mind at all if he ended up sleeping through the entire next day.

* * *

A loud bang like a gunshot jolted Allen out of a dreamless sleep. He blinked several times and sat up to find it was still dark outside. Kanda was already up and peering out the window and Allen wondered if he'd ever slept.

"What was that?" Allen said.

"I don't know."

"It sounded like a gunshot." Allen got to his feet, shaking the sleep from his mind and went to wake Lavi. "We should investigate."

Kanda said nothing. He folded his arms, still looking out the window. There were no more sounds from the street and there was no proof that the sound had resulted from an akuma attack, but Allen felt obligated to check it out. He knew his fellow exorcists, Kanda included, did as well.

Once Lavi was properly awake, the three left the inn for the second time that night. The streets were just as empty and quiet and only dimly lit in the early hours.

A cat screeched down the road past them, the bell on its collar jangling wildly.

Allen was feeling increasingly unnerved and picked up his pace until he was running. For reasons he didn't know, something felt off though his eye gave him no warning to suggest it was an akuma. No longer aware of the presence of Kanda and Lavi at his heels, he raced past the terraced houses and toward an alley.

A sudden impact sent him reeling backward to fall on his butt, dazed. He raised one arm in front of him in defense but as soon as he had his wits back, he allowed himself to relax. It was a boy he'd run into, a kid who couldn't have been much older than he, with a shock of white hair and dressed like a student from some posh boy's school, though the uniform wasn't one he recognized.

" _Shiro-kun!_ " Another boy skidded to a stop beside the first. " _Daijoubu?_ "

" _Hai_ ," the boy said. " _Gomenasai."_

Allen scrambled to his feet. "I'm sorry. It was my fault. You're not hurt?"

"No, no, I'm fine," the boy, Shiro, said, switching to heavily accented English as he rose and dusted himself off. He had a warm smile.

An idea occurred to Allen just then. "You…you didn't have anything to do with that loud sound a few minutes ago, did you? It sounded like a gunshot. I was hoping I was mistaken."

Shiro was looking around, up at the buildings and down the street as if he'd just arrived and was taking in the sights. "It was probably the air displacement," he said absentmindedly. "When we went through the Gate, this time period suddenly acquired three whole humans full of matter." He frowned slightly as if the idea troubled him and then he brightened. "We're in the past. Kuroh, we've traveled through time!"

Through the whole thing, Allen just watched, confused and curious. Shiro turned back to him with that infectious grin of his. "Tell me, what year is this?"

Allen was too startled to find the question odd. "Uh…1895."

"Look, I hate to butt in like this," Lavi said. "But if there's no emergency, I'm going back to bed." He punctuated this statement with a yawn.

"Hey, we should find Neko," Shiro said. "It was nice to meet you, uh…"

"Allen," Allen said and held out a hand. "And these are Lavi and Kanda."

"Shiro." The boy stopped himself mid-bow, as if remembering western customs, then took his hand and shook. "And Kuroh. Anyway, sorry about that. We're new here. Maybe when things settle down a bit, we'll see each other again." With that, the two started off the way the exorcists had come.

"Well that was a waste," Kanda muttered, causing Allen to frown. "With the increase in Akuma activity, we can't afford to lose sleep."

Allen didn't want to agree but he knew that Kanda had a point. Yawning himself, he made no argument and the three began to trudge back to the inn.

There was another commotion just a block ahead of them, like something crashing to the ground and the screech of a cat.

Lavi sighed. "What now?"

Allen hoped against hope it wasn't what he thought it was but a moment later, those hopes were dashed as something large and rotund loomed over the nearby café, groaning and bristling with cannons.

Immediately, the exorcists sprang into action, Allen's left arm growing over twice its length, Lavi's ever-lengthening hammer propelling him through the air, Kanda drawing a wickedly sharp blade from its place on his back.

It was a level one akuma, turning lazily through the air, mouth agape in a silent plea. But this area was quiet at this time of night and it wasn't shooting at the exorcists, hadn't even noticed their approach. Allen skidded to a stop, hesitating at the sight of the demon. For it was surrounded. Not by exorcists who were the only people equipped to handle such a threat but…cats. Large, looming cats. Cats with narrow eyes, white fur, bells on their collars, some fat, some lithe. They didn't move, just continued to stare inward at the Akuma with large, yellow eyes even as it shot them with its cannons and they dissipated into nothing. All the while, a small cat leaped around, meowing and leaving in its wake a trail of more of the strange anomalies.

Allen's attention was drawn to the two figures from earlier who stood just outside the circle. Kuroh held a katana before him and said something behind him to Shiro who was unarmed.

"Tch. You can't fight an akuma with a regular sword," Kanda muttered and then, not the slightest bit perplexed at the odd spectacle, leaped at the akuma's bulk while it was busy with the illusions, and cleaved it neatly in two. The ensuing explosion destroyed the remaining cat illusions and sent their creator tumbling with a startled yowl.

"Man, at this rate the Earl's gonna lose all his pawns," Lavi said from beside Allen.

Showing no signs of exertion, Kanda deactivated his anti-akuma weapon, casting a glance at the foreigners with what could only be described as disdain. Suspicious and confused, Kuroh lowered his sword but didn't sheathe it. The cat scampered over to him and hissed from behind his legs.

"What was that?" Kuroh said slowly, eyeing the unassuming blade strapped to Kanda's back.

Kanda didn't answer. He seemed grumpier than usual, perhaps proof that he was just as human as the rest of them. None of them had gotten much sleep over the last few days.

Allen was dead on his feet. He wanted nothing more than to return to the inn and collapse. He wasn't sure he'd even make it that far. But he took one look at the foreigners and sighed.

"That was an akuma," he said. "It's too complicated to get into now, but they're demons powered by the souls of the damned who were resurrected by grieving loved ones. These weapons we have." He indicated his deformed hand. "They're the only things that can kill them. That sword of yours wouldn't have left hardly a mark."

Kuroh affected a grim look and sheathed his sword. "I've seen a few things in m time, but never something like that."

"Most people don't until it's too late."

The cat that had been lurking behind Kuroh suddenly became a girl in the blink of an eye, with long pink hair and wearing a yellow sweater and little else. "I found it. It was pretending to be a person, but I knew that it wasn't and that it was bad." She looked up at Shiro like a dog seeking praise from its master and Shiro placed a hand on her head, ruffling her hair, but his attention was fixed on Allen.

For his part, Allen had to tear his gaze from the girl and force back a blush. Like Kuroh, he had seen a thing or two in his time. But the cat who was a girl who could make illusions, that was something new.

"Look, you're new around here. Why don't you accompany us back to the inn where we're staying and swap tales?" Allen said.

This was clearly too much for Kanda, who'd been sizing up the foreigners with suspicion throughout the exchange. "No," he said. "We have too much to deal with as it is without looking out for foreigners." He turned his back on them. "Time to go. We need to report back to Komui."

"Kanda," Allen said, casting an apologetic glance at Shiro. "It doesn't do to alienate people."

Kanda made an irritated noise but kept walking.

"I, uh…I'm sorry about Kanda. He can be hard sometimes."

Shiro waved his hand absently. "It's okay."

"But it's not!" Neko piped up again, her large eyes worried. "There were more of those monsters back there. They attacked Scepter 4."

Kuroh cast her a startled look. "Are you sure?"

Neko nodded emphatically.

"Where was this?" Allen wanted to know. As far as he knew, there were no other exorcists in the area. If these three had been attacked, the akuma might still be around. Yet no one had raised the alarm and his eye had given him no warning.

"This might be hard to swallow," Shiro said. "But it happened in Japan." Before Allen could question this, he added, "In the future."

Allen opened his mouth, closed it, opened it again. This was definitely new. "I think you had better come with us." All agreed, he wheeled around, gave Lavi, who might as well have been asleep on his feet, a sharp nudge in the ribs.

"Whaa?" Lavi said, snapping out of it but Allen was already running off down the street.

"Hey, Kanda!" he yelled, forgetting his tiredness, Lavi and the foreigners close on his heels.

* * *

The sun was breaking over the mountains when Kuroh and Shiro finally finished their story, Neko breaking in every now and then to add details the boys missed. They concluded with the rush through the Gate and then fell silent. All sat back.

"Wow," he said. "Then he frowned. "The akuma most likely attacked – what was it, Scepter 4? – on the Noah's orders. Somehow they knew about that time portal. That's definitely not something we want falling into their hands."

Kuroh, sitting in the chair by the window, the comforting weight of Kotowari by his side, had been feeling uneasy ever since arriving in the past. He kept casting glances out the window as if expecting an attack and had chosen his place by the window to keep watch. Now he sighed. "We went through the portal before we could learn the outcome of the battle. For all we know, the akuma could have it by now."

"Tell me more about these akuma," Shiro said, leaning forward. Behind him, Neko was flopped on the bed, passed out. "And the Noah."

"The akuma are why we exorcists exist," Allen said. "They're created when someone dies and the leader of the Noah, the Millennium Earl, offers one of their loved ones the opportunity to bring them back to life and in their grief, they accept it. But it never ends well. The resurrected soul is always distraught because the Millennium Earl has complete control of them and they're powerless to do anything when the Earl commands them to take over their loved one's body. That's when it becomes an akuma. It's the job of the exorcists to destroy them and free their trapped souls."

Now it was Kuroh's turn to breathe in disbelief. And he'd thought the time travel story was incredible. He glanced at Shiro who sat transfixed by Allen's words, absentmindedly rubbing the back of his arm through his sleeve.

"We have to find the Gate," Kuroh said. "That thing was ancient. There'll be a version of it existing in this time. We should find it before the akuma do."

Allen nodded. "Then you'll return home?"

Kuroh looked back out the window. "We need to find out what happened to Scepter 4. But not until we've made sure the Gate is safe."

"I agree." Allen followed Kuroh's gaze to the dimly lit town beyond the window. "None of us got any sleep last night. We should rest. Then we'll go back to the Black Order. There are people there who can help."

"Absolutely not," Kanda said, insistent on having a say. His jaw was set and Kuroh could practically feel the irritation wafting off him. This was not a person who worked well with others.

"This Rosen Gate is important to the Noah and now to the Order. We can't let something like that go without looking into it."

"Not that. If there even is a Gate, we need to acquire it at all costs," Kanda growled. "I'm talking about them." He pointed at Shiro and Kuroh. "They're outsiders. They have no place in this. You shouldn't have even told them what you have already."

"They've seen this thing up close," Allen said, obviously trying his best to stay calm but against Kanda, it wasn't easy. "They know how it works. They can help us."

Kuroh exchanged a look with Shiro. Neither had the vaguest idea how it worked.

"And they've told us everything. You'll compromise the Order." Kanda's voice was becoming more strained.

"Not everyone's an enemy, Kanda."

Kanda narrowed his eyes. "You're an idiot. You trust too much."

"Is that really a bad thing?"

"Tch." Kanda threw up his hands in disgust. "Fine. Do whatever you want. Don't blame me when your new friends turn out differently than you thought." He cast a distrustful look at Kuroh, one which Kuroh returned with a steady, defiant gaze, before turning away.

"We'll help you get back home," Allen said. He yawned and then grinned. "And won't Komui be excited when I tell him we're going after a real live time machine."

* * *

It was afternoon when anyone was in any condition to think coherently, having finally gotten the rest they all needed. The world looked different. It was hard to believe they'd been fighting akuma and discussing time travel in this very place last night. Now, Kuroh found himself marveling at all around them, at the architecture, at the horse-drawn carts, listening to the flow of the river and smelling…things that were less than pleasant. He'd never been to England but never in a million years did he think the experience would be anything like this.

The alley where the Gate had dumped them out was only a few blocks away from the inn but nothing about it suggested that it had been the site of anything so unusual. Kuroh didn't really expect to find anything but Allen had insisted on checking the place out just to be sure.

"I wonder why the Gate dropped you here," Allen said, eventually giving up as there was nothing in the alley to find. "It would make more sense for you to come out the same Gate at this end."

Shiro shrugged. "The Gate was buried when Scepter 4 found it. If it's still buried in this time, maybe that's why."

Allen nodded. "A good precaution to have, anyway." He took one last look at the alley. "I'll call Komui and let him know we're coming. I…uh, have no idea where Tim went, though."

Lavi sighed. "Probably ate so much that he fell asleep and fell off your head. Here." He rifled in his pack and pulled out a rather rumpled-looking bat. "You can borrow mine."

"Uh, thanks." Allen took a few steps away to make the call.

Kuroh caught Shiro staring into the distance, again rubbing at his forearm. "You okay?"

"Hmm? Yeah, sorry. I was just thinking." He didn't elaborate but Kuroh knew he was thinking about the time he'd spent as the Silver King after sacrificing himself to destroy the evil Colorless King. After his return, he hadn't told anyone what had happened during that time.

Kuroh frowned, but didn't press him.

A moment later, Allen returned. "Komui can't wait for us to get back and explain everything in detail."

"Great," Lavi said. "Looking forward to that." He stretched. "Guess we'd better get going."

They managed to catch the train just in time and the ride was an uneventful one. Kuroh worried about his home and Scepter 4, though they were not his clan. Part of him was even irritated at Neko for persuading them to jump through the Gate in the first place, but he tried to push that thought aside. Whatever had happened, their presence wouldn't have made a difference.

The train pulled into a station in a small town under overcast skies and over which loomed a steep-faced mountain which was their destination.

"A word of warning," Allen said. "Headquarters has a guardian who's…unstable. Just let me do the talking alright?"

Kuroh raised a brow at that and then followed Allen along the overgrown path.

* * *

Half an hour later, they were inside after a brief delay at the gate. As was his habit, Kuroh's gaze darted around, looking for threats, taking everything in. It was like they'd fallen through the time portal again and returned to the future. He only caught glimpses, but he doubted any of this technology belonged to this time period.

His first impression of Komui was that he was a bit of a ditz and he worried for a moment how this was the man in charge of the Black Order. He was trying to work on way too many things at once, and his desk was an absolute mess of papers, some of which had coffee stains on them. As they entered, he was talking on the phone and scribbling on scraps of paper which more often than not fluttered to the floor as soon as he was done with them.

"Allen, Lavi, Kanda!" Komui exclaimed as he hung up the phone. "Welcome back. You wouldn't imagine how busy it's been around here the last week or so. Calls are coming in like crazy. At this rate, we'll run out of exorcists to deal with the attacks." The phone rang and Komui answered it, listened for a few seconds. "I see. Get in touch with Daisya, he's the closest. He can handle it." Replacing the phone in its cradle, he turned back to the exorcists. "Now. Tell me about this time portal."

Shiro nodded. "It's called the Rosen Gate," he began and launched into the story for the second time. Throughout, Komi listened attentively, fingers steepled, his expression both fascinated and grim. "We believe the Gate is still located in Japan but we have to get to it before the Akuma do," he concluded.

"Thank you for telling me this," Komui said. "If the Rosen Gate is indeed in that same location, we'll find it. I'll need to get in touch with the Asian Branch and they'll send someone to check it out. In the meantime, you three are welcome to stay. It might take a while to hear back and decide our next move."

"Thank you," Shiro said. Kuroh gave a slight bow of his head in gratitude but he was still feeling antsy about being in this time period and he wouldn't be able to relax until he knew things were okay in the future. But until then, there was nothing for them to do but wait.

* * *

Puddles of water were left over from last night's rain and the red-haired skateboarder rode through them with abandon. Nearing the wharf, he spotted the Scepter 4 warehouse, a complete ruin cordoned off by police tape. Many Scepter 4 vehicles were parked outside, but the officers who carried out the investigation were not enough to justify the number of cars. Half the roof was gone and chunks of brick and concrete were torn from the structure. Fists clenched, he kicked harder and sped off the road toward the decrepit site, going around the back. The Scepter 4 officers were too busy and didn't notice him.

The inside was no better. A great crater was pockmarked with more recent impacts and in the center, the deep indentation of something massive that had once resided there. Yata rolled to a stop, flipped the skateboard into one hand, and entered. It was utterly deserted, silent, open to the sky. Rain had churned the dirt into mud that splashed on his shoes but he didn't care. Outside, he'd seen what tarp-enshrouded equipment that had survived the attack, carelessly abandoned. He felt a twinge in his gut and briefly the image of a bored, bespectacled young man flashed in his mind.

"Tch. Stupid monkey." Yata spat in disgust. "Like I would care." But all the same, there was no trace of the Blue Clansmen who had been here the previous night, his former friend and one-time Red Clansman gone with them. As much as he disliked them, it was worrying. He wandered among those things they'd left behind, the pit in his stomach growing. This was all so wrong.

Among the rubble, he found a red parasol, covered in dust, and it sparked a memory within him that didn't make sense. But there wasn't a single clue as to what might have happened during the battle, not even a single body. He returned to Homra then, finding Kusanagi behind the bar as always but his movements were distracted, listening to a radio on the counter. Anna sat on a stool, feet resting on its bar, focusing on a map of the region and examining one of her shiny red marbles.

Kusanagi looked up when Yata slammed through the door. "Oh, Yata-chan."

"They really are gone," Yata said bluntly, leaving his skateboard by the couch and earning a disapproving look from Kusanagi.

"You shouldn't have gone down there," Kusanagi said.

Yata shrugged, plopping onto a stool next to Anna. "Whatever."

"Still, you don't know what happened," Kusanagi said sternly but he knew he shouldn't have bothered to try. The hot-headed clansman would do as he liked, regardless of whether it was a smart idea or not and it was so often not.

Beside him, Anna made a sound of frustration and then sighed. "I can't find them."

Yata leaned in to look at the map. "Who are you searching for?"

"I tried finding Munakata-san and Fushimi-san and Awashima-san and some of the others, but they're nowhere," she huffed.

"I'm sure they're not nowhere," Kusanagi said. "Why don't you try again later?"

Anna nodded and rested her chin on the counter, rolling the marble along its surface beneath one finger.

"Their king was there?" Yata asked incredulously.

Kusanagi nodded, frowning. "It's a severe blow what happened to them. I just hope this business is resolved soon and they're alright."

"Tch. How can an entire warehouse of Blue Clansmen just disappear like that, anyway?"

"I don't know. But whatever happened, we should be prepared. If there's something out there that's capable of taking out so many skilled clansmen, including their king and his first and second lieutenants, we'll have quite a fight on our hands if they decide to target Homra next."

Anna lifted her head, unable to hide her frustration at her perceived uselessness. "Kusanagi-san, please call everyone and tell them. We should stick together."

Kusanagi nodded, not in the least put out by taking orders from a child.

Yata kicked his feet under the stool, itching to go out and do something, anything but sit around and wait for an attack. But what could he do?

His thoughts went to what must have been a great battle the previous night and he wondered if Fushimi was even still alive even as he pretended not to care.

* * *

The week went by slowly for the time travelers who whiled away the time wandering the halls of the Black Order, occasionally trekking down into the nearby town on errands, anything to get out and breathe fresh air. Kuroh found it especially difficult, waiting in anticipation for Komui to deliver the news that the Rosen Gate had been found and was even now on it's way to England.

As it was, the news they received at the end of the week was not favorable.

"The Rosen Gate isn't at the site," Komui told them, having summoned them as soon as he finished his rather disturbing conversation with Bak Chan, chief of the Asian Branch.

Kuroh showed no outward signs of disappointment, but his heart dropped.

"I see," Shiro said. "Thank you for trying, anyway."

Komui held up a hand. "Now, I didn't say they found nothing at all," he continued and Kuroh perked up. "Very troubling is that they did find something, though not what we were hoping. The portal used to be there but there is evidence that it has been removed. Very recently, as a matter of fact."

Kuroh and Shiro exchanged a worried glance.

"I'm sending Allen and Kanda to Japan right away to locate and secure it. We can't allow the Noah to possess such a powerful artifact. The science division is working on a device we can use to locate the portal."

Shiro nodded but before either of them could leave, Komui said, "And Shiro, Kuroh…thank you again for the information."

"Of course," Shiro said.

They left then and found Allen in the science division listening intently to a man with spiky hair whose name was Reever. He was leaning against a table, casual, and Allen's expression was a mix of interest and concern. When Reever spotted the two Silver Clansmen, he beckoned them over.

"I think we've got most of the kinks out," Reever said and then gestured at the device on the table which looked like an old wooden radio with dials and knobs and wires that snaked to the floor in a tangled heap. "This will tell us exactly where the Rosen Gate is."

Shiro perked up at that. "Really? How does it work?"

Reever patted the device proudly. "This little guy can detect tachyon particles from up to sixteen kilometers away. Once you get within detection range of the Gate, it'll lead you right to it."

"That's amazing," Shiro said, marveling over the piece. To Kuroh's eye, it didn't look like more than a piece of junk.

"All you do is switch this on right here." Reever flicked the switch and the device made a crackling noise of static. "And bring it to focus." He adjusted one of the knobs, eliciting an angry bout of static and a shower of sparks which caused them all to step back hurriedly.

"Still could use a little work, I guess," he admitted. "But it does work. I'll probably have to –"

"Wait." Kuroh stopped him before he could turn the device off. "Is it supposed to make that sound?"

"Huh." Reever rubbed the back of his neck, perplexed. The device had begun to make a slight keening sound. "That's the noise it makes when it detects tachyon particles. But that doesn't make any sense. What here could it possibly be reacting to?" He picked up the device, wires unraveling as he carried it several steps away from the table, lightly turned a dial, and listened. "It can't be."

"What is it?" Allen said.

"It's detecting a very powerful tachyon emission, the kind that could only come from the Gate's activation."

Kuroh's heart lurched and he gripped the hilt of his sword reflexively.

"They're here," he said.


	3. Chapter 3

**This was a fun chapter to write :) It's a battle scene! I have a feeling there will be many battle scenes in this story. Anyhoo, yada yada yada, here's chapter 3.**

* * *

Chapter 3

Lenalee entered the Black Order to find it unusually quiet. Her footsteps echoed in the large chamber. _Everyone's gone,_ she thought, casting her gaze about. She spotted a couple of Finders but the two were much too busy to give her so much as a glance. She wondered briefly if Komui was here and the surprise on his face if he were to see her, having not expected her back so soon.

 _All the exorcists are away fighting the akuma._ Lenalee stopped in the middle of the entrance hall and a small smile teased at the corners of her mouth. Reaching into her pocket, silently cursing this too-tight miniskirt, she pulled out a slim metal box with a single diode on it. She pressed a button and the diode flashed green.

The air next to her began to warp, shimmering as in an intense heat.

"Finally," she said and her features began to change, her skin darkening, bones and musculature altering. "The end of the Black Order begins today."

* * *

Komui thought for sure he would go hoarse answering all these calls and was just sighing in exasperation as the phone began to ring again when someone burst through his door.

"Sir, we're being invaded!"

"Whaa?" At first his addled brain couldn't process the information, but after a second, it hit him and he let the phone go on ringing. "What is it? What's happening?"

"Akuma just appeared in the entrance hall."

Komui shot to his feet. "Sound the alarm. How did they get in?"

"I don't know."

"Nevermind that. Find the rest of your division and barricade yourselves somewhere. Damn. We only have three exorcists. Where are they?"

"I think they're in the science section."

"Well, get them immediately!"

"They already know, sir."

Komui was on his way to the door. "Then get back to your division."

"But, sir –"

Komui opened the door and not a second later, an akuma bullet whizzed past and slammed into the wall, blowing chunks of stone everywhere. Komui slammed the door.

"We can't go that way," he said, his face pale, having been a hairsbreadth away from decapitation.

The man looked around the small office inquisitively. "That's the only way, sir."

"Nope," Komui said simply and dashed back to his desk, sweeping the mess of papers off of it and proceeded to push it aside. He seemed to have trouble with its weight so the other man, sighing, joined him and together they managed to push the desk aside. That done, Komui knelt, pushing more books aside, and tossed away an old moth-eaten rug he hadn't been able to see in two years, and pulled up on a ring in the floorboards.

"A secret door? Seriously?"

"Built for just this occasion," Komui said, descending the stone stairs. "Now off to the science division!"

* * *

"What do you mean, they're here?" Allen said, his expression suddenly grim.

"It's probably a glitch," Johnny said, peering over Reever's shoulder. "Right? It's a glitch right? Reever? It's a glitch, right? Reever…?"

"Shh, I don't know!"

"They couldn't have moved the Rosen Gate," Kuroh said, maintaining calm. "It would be impossible to haul it up the mountain."

"Well this signal's clear as day. Maybe they didn't even have to bring the Gate here. Maybe it just opened up here?"

"From what we've seen, it seems to open in a random location. Unless…" And here Shiro looked worried. "Unless they've found a way to control it."

"All the same, we need to know for sure." Reever reached for the phone but it rang before he could pick it up. He snatched it and held it to his ear. The others could hear faint shouting followed by silence. Reever hung up the phone.

"Yeah, they're here."

"We need to find Kanda and Lavi," Allen said. "And we need to barricade the science section. What a time for an attack," he muttered and then his eyes widened as realization dawned. "Damn it. _Damn it!_ They set us up! The increase in akuma activity…it was to get all the exorcists away from headquarters. How could I have been so stupid? I should have seen it. It's only luck that we ran into you guys and came back early."

Shiro was taken aback by this outburst. "We'll do all we can to help."

"Thank you, but like I said before, they can only be killed with Innocence."

"Even so, we have power of our own. It might not be the right kind, but at least we can take the akuma by surprise."

* * *

Kanda was walking at a brisk pace, tying his hair back as he did. He'd been feeling increasingly uneasy over the last few days, sensing that something wasn't right. Each step he took, his scowl grew deeper, tiny bells ringing in his ears, and then he couldn't stand it any longer.

"Stop following me, pest," he said, his voice a low growl. But the girl's eyes were wide and innocent and paid no heed to his warning. Instead, she made a happy sound and latched onto his arm.

Gritting his teeth, Kanda pushed her away hard and she landed on her rump, her face an expression of shock.

"Go back to your master, before you really get on my nerves." He was already missing the akuma-infested towns outside London.

Neko just sat there and pouted.

"Tch." Kanda turned and continued walking.

"You're not who everyone thinks you are," Neko called out after him. "You have more memories than you should."

Kanda spun around, Mugen flashing until its blade was an inch away from her face but she didn't flinch. "You don't know anything about me."

Neko tilted her head. "Who's Alma?"

Kanda's knuckles went white as he tightened his grip on Mugen.

Just then, an alarm sounded and Kanda cursed. He withdrew the blade. "Watch what you say," was his only warning and then he was dashing off down the hall.

* * *

Allen landed heavily on the floor, his most recent kill exploding behind him. He grunted and a pained laugh escaped his lips. Of all the things that could have happened, he'd sprained his ankle.

Spinning around, ignoring the twinge in his ankle, Allen found himself facing a mix of level one and two akuma. But where were they all coming from? It seemed that for every one he killed, two more took its place. Where was the portal?

"Cross Grave," Allen said and unleashed the power of his Innocence. He needed to get rid of all the level ones and quickly so he could focus on the others. A cross of light appeared on several akuma and they exploded. Behind their flying remnants was a level two, a grotesque snake-like thing, finely chiseled cannons already firing rapidly. Allen raised his arm to block, too slow, but the bullets fizzled and crackled as they smashed into a silver shield.

Allen paused only to give Shiro a quick nod of gratitude before changing his arm into a cannon and firing energy palings into the nearby akuma, killing two of them. He aimed at another and fired a bright bolt of energy at it, wounding it but not killing it. He gritted his teeth. All he had to do was hold out until Kanda and Lavi arrived.

On the other side of the room, Kuroh moved swiftly, using his Silver aura and physic projection to carry himself nimbly overtop the akuma which turned and tried in vain to lock their weapons on him. He struck one's hide with his sword but it was like striking hardened steel. His blade did nothing to stop the creature. He struck again, this time aiming for the humanoid face among the bristling cannons, hoping to locate a weak spot, but it was just as tough as the rest of it.

Deciding to rid themselves of this nuisance, another akuma locked its cannons onto Kuroh and fired. Kuroh leaped straight upward and the bullets smashed into the surprised akuma that had been his perch. With a moan, the struck demon glided backward, crashing through a wall. It wasn't dead but it gave Kuroh an idea.

* * *

Komui and the man named Lin made their way swiftly down the dark corridor beneath headquarters, Komui wearing a headlamp he'd grabbed from a hook upon descending through the trap door. The pathways down were far more convoluted than Lin would have thought and though Komui insisted he knew exactly where they were going, Lin doubted it.

"Is this it?" he asked, spotting a wooden door which Komui seemed to have missed. Tentatively, he pushed it open to find a large room with a single cloth-covered bulk in its center, the shape of which was horribly familiar. "Please don't tell me that's another Komlin." Just the idea made him feel ill.

"Huh, how'd that get there?" was Komui's only response as he breezed past.

"Chief!"

Lin shut the door and sighed, staring at Komui's rapidly retreating back. They were definitely lost.

* * *

Blood soaked through the fabric of his shirt from cuts on his normal arm and Allen grimaced. He was thankful for the presence of Kuroh and Shiro for though they had no offensive capabilities against the akuma, their skills had other uses. Shiro used his aura to shield himself and those around him while Kuroh caused chaos among the akuma ranks, leaping around, drawing their attention, and distracting them so that Allen could take them out. All the same, it was exhausting work.

So there was no greater sight than when he spotted Kanda, sword drawn, leaping toward the akuma. The demon turned, locked its cannons, and fired. Hit Kanda square in the chest.

"No! Kanda!" Allen yelled even as his fellow exorcist fell and vanished. But the shock could barely set in before another figure leaped and skewered the akuma and it shattered. Kanda landed lightly and rushed back into the fray. Allen stared after him, confused only until he spotted the familiar feminine form that flitted over the rubble of the destroyed wall.

Moments later, Lavi joined the battle, swinging away with his giant hammer, and Allen found himself filling with new strength. Ignoring his many cuts, he aimed his arm again and fired.

* * *

Kuroh staggered and grabbed his bleeding arm, gritting his teeth against the pain. His chest heaved, his heart pounded. Despite the chaos he'd been causing, it still wasn't enough. The akuma kept coming and with only three exorcists at hand, they were slowly losing ground.

A level two took a swipe at him and Kuroh instinctively threw up his shield which crackled wildly and then exploded at the blow, sending Kuroh flying. He hit the wall hard and the breath rushed from his lungs.

Amid the haze of stone dust and the rubble piled on the floor, he spotted movement. People. Gasping for breath, he felt a momentary hope that more help had arrived, but it was short-lived when he saw their calm expressions, their dark skin, the stigmata beneath their hair.

"Ng…" Kuroh winced and forced himself to stand on unsteady legs, grip tightening on Kotowari's hilt. He recognized the man from the alley in the future, the one who'd been, at least partially, responsible for the attack on Scepter 4. He looked exactly the same.

"Noah…" Allen breathed from somewhere to Kuroh's right, voice strained. Blood was running from a cut on his temple. "You're followers of the Millennium Earl."

"Quite perceptive," the man said, his voice a bored drawl. Beside him was a woman with the same dark skin and long hair.

"We'll destroy you," Allen vowed, ignoring his own injuries.

The slightest grin formed on the man's face. "Heh." he raised one hand and a spot of darkness formed in the air out of which flitted a dainty winged creature.

 _A butterfly?_ Kuroh thought.

"Only make promises you can keep, boy." With that, more dark portals opened up and butterflies emerged in a great swarm and flew straight at Allen and Kuroh where they stood against the wall.

Kuroh's Silver aura flared as he tried in vain to block them. They beat their wings frantically against the shield and several slipped in, slicing Kuroh on his face and shoulder, making him wince. Allen's arm was held in front of him, doing his best to ward off those that got in as the shield weakened, cracks spreading across its surface.

A hand rested on Kuroh's arm and he looked up into the face of his king. Instantly, the shield strengthened and expanded, pushing the fluttering creatures back.

"Tsk." Growing impatient, the woman strode forward and, faster than Kuroh could keep track of, her arm lashed out, transforming itself into a whip which cracked against the shield. Kuroh and Shiro staggered against the impact.

"We can't keep this up forever," Allen said. "We need to go on the offensive."

Kuroh exchanged a glance with Shiro. Shiro nodded.

A moment later, the shield fell.

* * *

"This is it!" Komui exclaimed and pushed open another door in over a dozen upon which he'd made that same proclamation. Lin sighed, seriously losing patience and faith, but his eyes widened as Komui threw open the door. Beyond the cabinet and cloth-covered equipment that had long ago been discarded, he caught a glimpse of white coats, all huddled behind a mound of tables and chairs that had been hastily piled up against the door. He recognized Reever, who was fiddling with some sort of device.

"Chief!" Reever exclaimed, looking up from the device. "How did you get in here?"

"Just the secret door behind the cabinet," Komui said.

"You mean there's a way out of here?" Reever said, deadpan.

"I thought it was common knowledge."

Reever was about to say something and then decided it wasn't worth it. "Anyway, I've pinpointed the location of the tachyon emissions. It's in the entrance hall." He scrambled to his feet. "We need to get this information to the exorcists."

Behind him, an explosion shook the wall.

* * *

"Allen!" a voice called out but he barely heard it above the ringing in his ears and the pounding of his heart. He staggered, spat blood onto the floor. His anti-akuma weapon felt unusually heavy, weighing him down.

"I must admit, this is disappointing," Tyki said, walking leisurely among the rubble. "It's been ages since I killed an exorcist. I was hoping for more of a challenge."

Allen gritted his teeth. He braced himself as a hammer descended onto the Noah, crashing into the ground. He winced from the sudden spray of dust, blinking, but the Noah was still standing, having dodged the blow faster than Allen thought possible.

Tyki sighed, as if he thought the intrusion was merely an annoyance. Without so much as a glance in Lavi's direction, he sent a blast of dark matter hurling at him, throwing him back into the mass of akuma that Kanda was still fighting his way through. Their grotesque bodies blocked Allen's view and he didn't see where Lavi landed.

Then Tyki was on him in a flash, inside his defenses, one hand plunging itself into his chest.

Allen froze. He was acutely aware of the beating of his heart, the blood pumping in his veins. And the fact that suddenly he couldn't breathe, an agonizing pressure in his chest, squeezing like a vice. Allen gasped but couldn't draw in another breath.

"This is the power of the Noah," Tyki said, bringing his face close to Allen's. "You're completely powerless to stop me. All I have to do is squeeze and I can crush your lungs. Or your heart." His voice lowered to a whisper. "It's going to take a lot more than three exorcists to defeat me."

Tyki's eyes widened in shock then and he instinctively loosened his grip on Allen. A sword was buried deep in his side, Kuroh's blood-spattered face set in grim determination.

"Oh, what's this?" Tyki fixed his level gaze on Kuroh. "You're not even an exorcist. That was quite brave of you, boy. I didn't even sense your attack." His mouth turned upwards at the corners in a wicked grin. "You're something new to play with." He sidestepped, the sword phasing through him as if he were nothing but air, and lashed out at Kuroh.

Kuroh's aura flared, lifting him off the ground, and the attack missed him by mere centimeters. Briefly forgotten, Allen stumbled, gasping for breath, and collapsed, hand going to his chest. His vision was blurred but he could still see as Kuroh reached out a hand, projecting a ghostly limb to pull himself along.

Tyki attacked again and one of his shots hit Kuroh in the chest, sent him flying back to crash into Kanda and the both of them sprawled on the floor, momentarily safe from the akuma by the creatures' brief confusion. Kanda instinctively shoved Kuroh off of him and the two scrambled to their feet, swords at the ready. Around them, the akuma trained their cannons on them, prepared to fire.

A gesture from the Noah gave them pause. "Go find the other humans and kill them. I'll take care of these."

Grumbling in disappointment, the akuma drifted off, leaving the two swordsmen and the Noah facing each other.

"You're the man from the alley," Kuroh accused. "From the future. You and your akuma attacked Scepter 4."

"Oh?" There was a look of genuine curiosity in his eyes. "Oh, I see. I have much to look forward to then." A blast of dark matter energy shot from the palm of one hand, sending the exorcist and the clansman diving in opposite directions.

Kuroh took to the air, using his Silver aura to keep himself aloft, moving swiftly. Kanda nimbly leaped across the rubble, blade gleaming, summoning a horde of netherworld insects flying at Tyki.

The Noah skipped to the side, dodging the creatures, ducking his head as Kuroh came down at him, blade ready to skewer him for a second time. But this time, he was ready and Kuroh's expression became one of shock as the sword and then his entire body fell through Tyki as if the man were nothing but a ghost.

This attack was immediately followed by a sword thrust from Kanda. Sidestepping, Tyki avoided the point of the blade and it glided smoothly off the back of his hand. It was only the slightest touch, but hairline cracks began to form on Mugen's blade. Kanda set his jaw, whipped back around to face Tyki. He immediately registered just how dangerous this man was and knew that he would need to be more careful.

Kuroh lashed out with his projection, reaching for Tyki's throat. The Noah's skin was slippery, hard to get a hold of, the result of whatever otherworldly power that let him phase through solid objects. But, straining, calling upon his aura, Kuroh managed to get a hold, eliciting a surprised look from the Noah, but when Kuroh tried to squeeze, he found that the once overpowering strength of the psychic projection was now so weak. The grin spreading on Tyki's face, he grabbed the projection at the wrist, something Kuroh had thought impossible for anyone to do, and yanked it away from his throat.

Kuroh cried out when his aura dissipated and Tyki took another step, bringing him towering over the fallen clansman.

Suddenly Tyki was thrown off his feet by a powerful blow that rammed him into the wall. The hammer retracted and Lavi stood, panting, bleeding from a dozen cuts. He retrieved the hammer and twirled it around his shoulders.

"I'm not dead yet, you jerk! So don't write me off!"

"Heh. Now things are getting interesting." Tyki summoned more of those butterflies and set them at Lavi.

Bidding his hammer to grow, Lavi activated one of his anti-akuma weapon's many stamps and a torrent of wind swept over the swarm, casting them away. Tyki raised his arm against the powerful wind, slowly being pushed back across the floor, his dark hair streaming out behind him. With effort, he managed to leap clear of the wind, alighting on a pile of rubble. Lavi's attack died down and he swung his hammer around, quickly casting about for another strategy.

"Hey, Yu!" he called over his shoulder. "This guy's pretty tough but we can take him all together."

Kanda frowned deeply at the use of his first name, but now wasn't the time to argue. He and Kuroh came on either side of Lavi.

"You picked the wrong guys to mess with," Lavi said, the incantation for the Iron Hammer's fire stamp settling in his mind.

"No matter what happens here, the Black Order ends today," Tyki said. "You're so focused on fighting me, there's no one to stop the akuma from killing everyone in this castle." Several long strides brought him in front of Lavi. "The Black Order will fall and without a home to return to, we'll hunt down the exorcists and exterminate them and destroy their Innocence." He reached out and Lavi, having seen what the Noah was capable of, swerved to the side, just as Tyki's hand grazed the inside of his flesh, sending a sickening tingle up Lavi's spine. The man's hand only barely brushed his ribs before passing through his arm and a sudden pain shot through him as if the tendons in his arm were being torn away from the muscle.

Lavi cried out, hammer falling from suddenly useless fingers. Gritting his teeth, he snatched it up with his other hand.

"Fire stamp," he spat amid the pain and great, hot flames shot up all around him.

* * *

"Shoot through it, idiot!"

"Alright, alright, already!"

"There are humans on the other side!"

Allen lifted his head from the rubble, a trickle of blood running down the side of his face, vision swimming. Whatever Tyki had done to him, he could still feel it, the damaged tissue of his lungs, and he struggled to breathe. Through the dust and haze, he caught sight of the akuma, their cannons trained on the wall this room shared with the science division.

"No…" Allen clenched his fists and tried to push himself up. His wounds had taken their toll and his arms and legs shook with the strain. "No." He forced himself to move, tried to get to his knees, aimed his anti-akuma weapon at the demons.

They fired at the wall, sending chunks of stone scattering.

"Stop it. _No_." Allen's hearted clenched when he thought of Reever and the others huddled behind the tables, holding out, trusting the exorcists to ward off the threat, unable to defend themselves. He rose shakily to his feet.

The akuma fired again.

" _Stop it!_ " Allen shouted and fired, poured all his remaining strength into protecting the people he'd sworn to protect.

Another shot and a great section of the wall exploded outward.

* * *

"Everyone get to the secret door. Now!" Reever ordered and his fellow scientists didn't need to be told twice. "Then go down to the waterway. We're evacuating. That means you too, Komui. As chief of the Order, you need to survive."

Komui pursed his lips, the stress showing on his face, but he knew he couldn't argue. Headquarters was as good as lost.

"What about you?" Johnny asked, his eyes wide behind large glasses.

"I'll be right behind you. I need to get this information to the exorcists first. It may be our only chance."

Johnny nodded stiffly, understanding, but hating it.

"Good. Now go."

People were already scurrying into the tunnel and Reever would have to trust Komui and Lin to lead them out to safety. He stood up from behind the makeshift barricade, gripping the tachyon detector tightly by the handle in one hand.

A moment later, the wall blew inward. Dust filled the air and there were screams and the sound of akuma cannons.

Reever dropped the device.

Only a meter away, hands covering his head to protect him from the falling debris, Johnny blinked through the dust and smoke, his eyes watering, staring at the shocked look on the science chief's face.

Slowly, dark pentagrams began forming on Reever's face and hands and his eyes locked onto Johnny, who stood frozen.

"Tell the exor…cists…" Reever began. And then he was gone.

Johnny could no longer feel his legs or his trembling arms or anything but the frantic beating of his own heart. His eyes remained fixed on the place where Reever had been and then, no longer in control of his own body, he fell to his knees, quivering all over.

"No…" he breathed, even as the akuma entered, firing more of their lethal bullets. "No…"

People were dying all around him but he shut out their screams. It was all real, so real, and now everything was coming to an end.

With the shadows of the akuma filling the room, Johnny Gill closed his eyes.


	4. Chapter 4

**This was another fun chapter! Basically, this chapter contains the very first scene I envisioned which inspired me to write this story. As a side note, it has come to my attention that it doesn't make sense for K characters to still have their powers in England in the past since its way outside the range of the Dresden Slate's influence. Oh well.**

* * *

Chapter 4

Just as it was about to fire, the akuma hovering over Johnny exploded.

Johnny winced but he was still alive and he opened his eyes. "Allen…" he breathed as the white-haired exorcist stumbled through the hole in the wall, anti-akuma weapon extended. He noted that the scientists were evacuating and began firing into the pursuing akuma, trying to attract their attention, trying to buy the others time to escape.

Reever's face as he'd looked moments before his death flashed through Johnny's mind and he bit his lip, trying to stop the tears that threatened to come.

"Allen!" he called out.

Allen's arm swung around, firing energy palings into the akuma. Sweat shone on his brow. "Johnny, please evacuate with everyone else. I don't know how much longer I can fight."

"It's about the tachyon emissions. Reever said the source was in the entrance hall. It's impossible for them to have brought the Rosen Gate with them, so they're most likely controlling it remotely with some sort of device, forcing the portal's other end to open up here. Find the device and you can shut it down."

Allen cast his gaze around the room. "Where's Reever?"

One look at Johnny's dirt-smudged face and the tears that brimmed in his eyes was enough to tell Allen what had happened. Suddenly, his strength lessened and he found himself gripping his anti-akuma weapon with his normal arm.

"Thank you for telling me," he said, his voice low. "I'll make sure he didn't die in vain." The others had managed to escape and now he turned his attention fully on the akuma, striking so fast he didn't give them an opportunity to hit them back. All the while, he kept the image in his mind of the device he'd seen hooked to the female Noah's belt.

* * *

Kuroh finally spotted Shiro and was relieved to see that his king appeared unhurt. Yet at the same time, he wondered why Shiro was holding back. This battle was something they couldn't hope to win but he hadn't sensed his clan's surge in power, hadn't seen Shiro's own Silver Sword of Damocles appear overhead. Perhaps he knew the attempt would be futile.

Then Tyki was suddenly between them and though Kuroh, Kanda, and Lavi were all growing exhausted, the Noah hardly appeared out of breath. Kuroh had never before seriously considered the possibility that he might die, not even during his battle with Yukari, but now he wondered if he could possibly get out of this alive.

His arms were quivering just slightly as he once again lifted Kotowari and prepared to defend himself but at that moment, the female Noah, who had vanished shortly after the battle had begun, appeared seemingly out of nowhere.

"Tyki, more exorcists have come and are killing the akuma by the gate. You're needed there."

"Oh?" Tyki raised one brow at her. "That's interesting. Seems we won't need to hunt them all down after all. You take care of this one," he said, indicating Kuroh with a lazy wave of his hand before casually navigating the rubble, soon lost to sight.

"Hmph." Lulu Bell turned to face Kuroh. "I'm not very fond of playing with the toys discarded by others. But don't worry. I'll make it quick."

Kuroh clenched his teeth, mustering what strength he had left, giving only a cursory thought to what this woman had meant when she'd mentioned exorcists at the gate.

"Kuroh!" Allen's voice cried out. "We need to get that device on her belt! That's what's powering the portal!"

Spotting the metal box, Kuroh nodded imperceptibly, tightening his grip on his sword. He summoned as much strength from his aura as he could, thinking of Shiro and wondering again why he didn't activate his power to its fullest extent.

Lulu Bell scowled. "This castle has already fallen. The damage is done. Nothing you can do will change that."

Kuroh remained silent, saving his breath for the fight.

Quick as a snake, her arm lashed out, lengthening, cracking the air like a whip. Kuroh leaped clear of it, using his Silver aura to lift him and countering with the power Ichigen-sama had given him long ago. The projected limb ripped chunks of heavy debris, throwing them at the Noah who ducked and dodged and attacked him again. Throughout their battle, her face remained expressionless, her gaze fixed on Kuroh.

She was strong and Kuroh was already tired after fighting Tyki. He knew he wouldn't last very long against her. He scanned the room, caught brief glimpses of Lavi and Kanda through the haze, busily bringing down a level two that had reemerged from the science division. And then he noticed something else and he set his jaw in grim determination. He would hold out long enough.

Lulu Bell again lashed out with her arm and Kuroh leaped, wielding Kotowari in a two-handed grip, intent on cleaving that arm off above the elbow. But just as he landed, sword slicing downward, she grabbed his forearm with her other hand, her hold like a vice. Her other arm wrapped around his middle, holding him fast.

"That wasn't very difficult," she said. Kuroh was pressed in very close to her, his arms pinned, sword hovering uselessly in clenched fingers at his side. Her face was right next to his, their gazes locked. "You're close enough to touch the thing you're after, but you can't even move."

"Heh." He winced from the pressure around his waist. "You really…shouldn't leave your flank open in the middle of a battle."

"Eh?" Her eyes flickered to her side but it was too late. Neko was already bouncing nimbly away, the small metal box clasped in her hands.

"Neko, take it to Allen!" Kuroh commanded.

"Kuroh?" Neko's eyes were wide with worry.

"Go!"

Torn, Neko bit her lip and darted away.

"Tch." Letting go her grip on Kuroh, Lulu Bell shot her arm out at Neko, tried to trip her up, sending debris flying. But Neko leaped and dodged, mewling with every near miss.

Getting his feet back under him, Kuroh once again lashed out with his projection, taking advantage of the distraction to throw Lulu Bell off her feet. Then he turned and he ran.

"Allen! Allen! I have it!" Neko shouted, holding the device up above her head. The three exorcists were panting, grimacing with pain, but there was no more sign of the akuma.

"How do we shut it off?" Lavi said. The device sported several buttons, but none of them were labeled PUSH TO TURN OFF.

"We'll have to risk it," Allen said. "What's the worse that can happen if we don't turn it off?"

"Are you serious? You never say that!" Lavi said. "You'll jinx it!"

"This one!" Neko said, still ruffled from the attack, still riled up, wanting nothing more than to finish it and curl up some place warm and safe.

"Neko, we at least have to give it some thought first," Shiro said, startled, reaching for the device.

Neko pressed the button.

Lavi blinked. "Did it work?"

"I don't hear anything."

"Maybe we should check the entrance hall."

Before any of them could take so much as a single step, the air shimmered, opened, and swallowed them whole.

* * *

All the breath left Lavi in a rush as they crashed in a heap of tangled limbs. He struggled to get free, biting his lip as a jolt of pain shot through his injured arm.

"Is everyone alright?"

"Where are we?"

Neko cried out and dropped the box, its metal surface blackened and smoking. She frantically began to lick her hands like a cat, the flesh red as if it had been burned.

"It's all burned out," Shiro said.

"That's good, isn't it?" Lavi said. "They can't use it anymore."

"Uh…" Kuroh's face had gone pale, his eyes fixed on something just beyond them.

"What is…oh." Turning to look, Lavi froze, the color similarly draining from his face. For just beyond them, a horde of akuma hovered, blinking, just as confused by their sudden appearance as they were."

Then… "Ex-exorcists!"

"Get them!"

Lavi was seriously growing sick of this. He clutched his hammer, getting to wobbly feet. He realized then that he was actually feeling quite ill. His hair was damp with sweat.

"We're all exhausted," Kuroh said. "We can't fight like this." As if to prove his point, Allen promptly slumped against Shiro, who was supporting him. His anti-akuma weapon deactivated.

"Allen!"

Lavi quickly glanced around and spotted something directly behind them, his eye widening. It was like nothing he'd ever seen, a great stone ring with glowing symbols and blue energy that crackled at its center. The energy flared and warped.

"The Rosen Gate," Kuroh said. He took note of the way the energy crackled and glanced at the burned out device at his feet and it all clicked together. "The Gate's destabilizing. We need to jump through and it'll close behind us."

"We'll just end up back where we started," Lavi pointed out, urgency in his voice as the akuma began to rush them.

"At least we know what's back there."

It was death in front and death behind and there was really no argument. As the akuma charged at them, bringing their weapons to bear, the travelers threw themselves at the Gate and vanished.

Reappearing moments later, stumbling, they found themselves in silence under a starlit sky.

"Wha… This isn't the castle," Lavi said, looking around him. "In fact, it looks familiar."

"When that device burned out, it destabilized the Gate," Shiro said. "Maybe it somehow got dislocated in the process." He winced as if he'd sustained an injury during the battle.

Wordlessly, Kuroh approached him and took Allen's weight from him. The exorcist was out cold and though he didn't show it, Shiro was relieved to have the burden lifted. He absently rubbed the back of his arm.

"We need to contact the Black Order," Kanda said. "Assess the situation." No one disagreed. But as they began their exhausted trek to find a phone (none of them had golems) and a place to rest, something was nagging at Lavi, something that didn't feel right, that had him on edge. But what was it?

As they neared the Thames, Lavi could hear shouting. He lifted his head, ears pricked. And suddenly it all came together.

"No way…" Without giving the others time to protest, he said, "Quickly, get in that alley!"

"What –?" Kanda began but he was shoved none too gently into the alley and the fires of rage lit up his eyes, his hand going to the hilt of his sword. But then he hesitated. It seemed like Lavi had given the warning just in time.

A moment later, three figures emerged from a side street, clad in black, each wielding a familiar weapon.

"What?" Kuroh's eyes darted between the figures and the exorcists and after a few seconds, confusion gave way to realization.

"That is so _weird_ ," Lavi murmured. Propped against the wall of the alley, Lavi watched with growing fascination, even as he knew what was going to happen next.

"They just…won't quit," one of the figures said, voice wafting on the air to where the travelers hid. Lavi could feel his own heart speed up, remembering that dark night, recalling his own mouth forming those exact words. He ducked deeper into the alley and sure enough, another figure sprinted around the corner, close enough for Lavi to feel the breeze of his passing.

"Don't move!" the man shouted, pulling out a gun and aiming it at the figures.

"Ah, geez. Really?"

"No sudden moves."

One of the figures took a step forward, one hand held up in a placating gesture. "There's been a mistake, officer. We haven't really killed anyone. At least not humans. Those people were akuma."

Knowing what was to come next, Lavi gripped his weapon in its holster, made a move to step out of the alley. A hand caught his arm. He looked back to see Shiro watching him.

"Don't," he said. "You can't interfere."

"But –" The words died in his throat at the serious look on Shiro's face.

Lavi's hesitation was a second too long as an akuma rose above the rooftops, cannons opening fire. Lavi quickly turned away. There was a single gunshot. He winced at the sound of the gun clattering to the ground. Teeth clenched, he finally opened his eyes and looked. The akuma and the police officer were gone. The three figures were running off into the distance along the shore of the Thames. A moment later, tentacles emerged from the river and latched onto the dark-haired figure, pulling him down and dragging him into the water.

Lavi tore his gaze away. He'd seen enough.

"Come on," Kuroh said once all the figures were out of sight. They stepped out onto the street, walked over cobbles where the tattered remnants of a police officer's uniform fluttered in the slight breeze. As they passed the site, Lavi couldn't help but look back, noting that only the torn cloth and a police badge were all that was left of the poor man. Something about it seemed off, though, like something was missing. He should have know what it was right away, but his exhaustion was taking its toll.

Beside him, Shiro gazed out at the city as if searching for something. The boy seemed distracted, grim. They were all tired and beaten and wounded.

Eventually, they settled in another alley, Kuroh lowering the unconscious Allen to the ground, carefully. Lavi slumped to the ground with his back propped against the wall, aching all over but especially in his arm. He felt like he could pass out at any moment.

"Tch. Pathetic," Kanda muttered, looming over them, but when no one responded, he turned away. "I'll go see if I can find a phone." With that, he was gone.

Now that it seemed the danger was behind them, Neko began making pitiful mewling noises, staring in dismay at her burnt hands.

Kuroh placed a hand on her head. "Don't worry. We'll get those seen to," he said reassuringly.

Neko sniffled, then looked up at Kuroh with large eyes. She nodded and then looked around them. "Where's Shiro?"

Kuroh glanced around, not seeing him. On the ground, Lavi and Allen seemed fine for the moment. He turned and headed out of the alley, scanning the side streets by starlight. He soon spotted the familiar figure of his king, his back turned to him.

"Shiro?" Kuroh said tentatively, but Shiro didn't respond, continuing to stare at nothing, lost in thought, worried. Kuroh approached him.

After a moment of silence, Shiro said, "All the akuma need to be destroyed, don't they?" His voice was very small. "After all that they've done. They truly are the greatest destructive force in history. Enough to bring all of humanity to its knees."

"Shiro…" Kuroh laid a hand on his shoulder and the white-haired boy turned his head slightly in acknowledgement.

"I know. Only exorcists can destroy akuma. Their headquarters is destroyed. But with our knowledge of the future, the exorcists just might get a second chance."

Kuroh said nothing.

"I need to be alone for a moment," Shiro said suddenly, shrugging away Kuroh's touch and heading back the way he'd come.

"Shiro…" Neko said, made as if to follow him.

Kuroh touched her shoulder. She stopped and looked at him. "Let him be," Kuroh said. He worried about his king, had been worried ever since he'd found him again, stumbling, wounded, down the street. Whatever he'd gone through since his fight with the Colorless King still weighed heavily on him.

Kuroh watched him go in silence.

* * *

Kanda had been unable to contact the Black Order using the phone he'd found, which in itself was odd. After several tries, he finally gave up and returned the way he'd come, stopping to take advantage of a bakery's day-old goods, surprised to find it open so late at night. He carried them in a paper bag, knowing they would all need the sustenance for the journey back to the castle where he knew the attack had not yet taken place.

The night air was cool on his face, teasing his long hair. It was completely silent, the kind of silence that greatly unnerved him. It was unnatural. Even the sound of his own footsteps seemed muffled as if the very night itself were repelling the sound.

Mugen rested against his back. His own pains from the battle were already beginning to heal and he knew that by morning, not even scars would remain.

Movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention and he glanced upward. The figure of a man stood on a nearby rooftop, all clad in red and wielding something long and broad and metallic that glinted in the moonlight. Kanda's heart clenched at the sight. Something was wrong.

Strength quickly returning, he ran down the street, skidded into the mouth of the alley.

The single bark of a gunshot.

A single stream of red.

A widening, manic grin.

The paper bag dropped at Kanda's feet. His eyes followed the body's fall as Lavi crumpled to the ground.

Then there was laughter. It bubbled up and then spilled over, sickening. The gun swung through the air. "Don't you wish they'd listened to you, Yu?"

Kanda's eyes snapped up and rage boiled within him, perhaps the worst anger he'd ever felt. It filled his every pore, threatened to flood and consume him. Without realizing it, Mugen was in his hand and he was running, that hateful face filling his vision.

Shiro grinned widely and disappeared around the corner.

Activating his blade, Kanda rushed through the alley, past two bodies, one lost to exhaustion, one lost forever. He refused to look at them.

He rounded the corner to find the kid, that damn Shiro, disappearing behind another building but not before he caught the excited gleam in his eye, an expression straining sanity. Kanda pushed himself and gave chase and he could feel his sword arm itching to end this. He knew the strangers couldn't be trusted. Ever since they'd arrived, he'd been suspicious of them. Even with Allen and Lavi easily believing their tale and befriending them. Those idiots.

And now one of those idiots was dead.

Kanda growled low in his throat and when he rounded a final corner, he saw a flash of white hair like Allen's and he brought his sword around to slice it across the boy's chest.

Something struck his blade aside.

"Move," Kanda said with the deadliest tone he could muster.

Kuroh's saya was pressed against Mugen but he hadn't drawn the blade.

"Why are you trying to kill Shiro?" Kuroh said. His voice was soft but not without its own growl.

Kanda gritted his teeth. "He's a murderer. That's even worse than an akuma."

Kuroh's eyes widened slightly at the accusation but then they narrowed and an angry glint entered them. "Shiro is no murderer. Lower your weapon."

"Then you're either blind or you knew what he was all along."

"Shiro is my master," Kuroh said. "As his loyal vassal, I cannot allow you to hurt him."

"I didn't think you would." Kanda swiftly drew back his sword and this time his target was Kuroh. He'd started to think of him as an honorable and skilled swordsman like himself. How wrong he was. He stepped to the side quickly and attacked, bringing Mugen across in slashing motions.

Kuroh was quick. In a flash, he had drawn Kotowari, discarding the saya to the ground. The two blades clashed with a ring of steel. And then they parted and came at each other again, testing each other. Normally in a fight such as this, each combatant wielding a katana, the fight could be ended with a single attack. Not so with these two. Both were quick and agile. Both had learned from great masters and both wielded power than was more than human.

At Kanda's command, a swarm of dark creatures burst forth and went straight for Kuroh's head. Kuroh broke away then and used his Silver aura to lift himself into the air before extending his projection from his hand. It slammed into a nearby building and tore a chunk of it away, slamming it into the shadow creatures.

But as Kuroh turned in the air, he found Kanda nearly at his throat, using the distraction of the insects to his advantage. The two clashed again but just barely. It was all Kuroh could do to block the attack. A jolt ran up his arms and down his back. The exorcist was strong. He pressed the advantage viciously, forcing Kuroh back. He had to use both hands to maintain the block and so couldn't use his hand projection again, the skill that Ichigen-sama had taught him all that time ago.

Instead, he concentrated on his Silver aura and it threw him back a few feet out of Kanda's reach. As soon as they broke contact, he threw out an invisible hand and grabbed Kanda by the leg. The attack caught him by surprise and he was slammed against the wall of a nearby building.

Kuroh winced. He didn't really want to hurt the exorcist he'd considered a valuable fighting companion, no matter how ill-tempered. Part of him was convinced that this had to be some misunderstanding. He'd been too focused on guarding Shiro at the time, but now the severity of Kanda's words sent a jolt through him. Lavi…dead? He had an image in his mind of the red-haired boy and his goofy grin. And how he'd most likely saved Kuroh's life during the battle. If that part, at least, was true, and someone had killed him (surely not Shiro; of that, Kanda was definitely mistaken), then they were wasting their time fighting each other. They needed to be out there searching for the real killer.

The other part of him wondered if Kanda himself had done it.

Kanda lunged at him, ignoring the pain of Kuroh's last attack and his impossibly sharp blade drew a line of red across Kuroh's arm. Kuroh grimaced. He was still feeling the pain from the injuries of the battle and yet Kanda almost seemed like such a strenuous fight had never happened. How could he still be so strong?

Kuroh sent his projection out in a flurry of moves, tearing apart the road, ripping up chunks of stone and hurling them at the exorcist.

Kanda ducked and weaved and came at him again and their swords clashed once more. Kuroh's muscles strained against such overwhelming strength.

"Kanda…please, I don't want to fight you."

"Tch." They broke apart again. "You got yourself into this, defending that murderer. I always knew we couldn't trust you."

"Shiro is no murderer!" Kuroh said with such conviction that it made Kanda's blood boil even more.

"Then die with him." Kanda lunged again, an unrelenting, powerful force. It was all Kuroh could do to keep on his feet. He clenched his teeth, tightening his hold on Kotowari, fought past the pains and exhaustion from the battle at the Order, and fought on.

An image entered his mind of Shiro, back before he'd been revealed to be the Silver King. He heard his carefree laugh and saw that silly grin and remembered the grim determination in his own heart during his quest to slay him. A determination that had turned into uncertainty and then finally, to understanding, culminating in Kuroh pledging himself, blade and life, to his new king. His friend. Shiro. After all that they had been through, he would gladly lay down his life for Shiro's. He realized then that he had no qualms about killing this exorcist. If he could save Shiro's life, he would hold no regrets.

Gathering his strength, remembering Yukari's words to him, Kuroh allowed himself and Kotowari to fill with that one passionate wish, that one promise.

 _I will protect Shiro._

Unleashing the power of his aura, Kuroh swiped at Kanda, forced the other swordsman back, his blade glowing Silver in the night. He struck instinctively, swiftly, his power speeding his footsteps, taking him into the air. He had to keep moving, keep out of range, darting in for a quick blow before retreating.

For his own part, Kanda blocked every strike, growing more infuriated with each attack. When Kuroh's blade finally found its way in, nicking his face, drawing a thin line of blood, Kanda let loose with his Innocence, sending another wave of black creatures at Kuroh.

They hit Kuroh and knocked him out of the sky. He came down heavily, summoning a shield to block the rest of the attack. Then Kanda was rushing at him, bringing Mugen down onto his shield, shattering it. Kuroh reeled from the attack and then he caught a glancing blow in the ribs which sent him staggering to the side.

He managed to regain his balance just in time, raising Kotowari to defend himself. Kanda struck again and again, driving him back and though he glowed brightly from his aura and the thought of what Kanda would do to Shiro should he fail went through his mind, he felt himself weakening fast.

In a single hard blow, Kotowari went flying from his hand, clattering somewhere on the ground. Mugen sliced his shoulder deeply and Kuroh cried out, instinctively grabbing for the wound. He fell to his knees.

Kanda brought his blade to rest at Kuroh's throat.

Kuroh grunted, desperately reaching out for his own powers, but the shield he managed to summon was weak, easily dispelled.

"Tch. That was it?" Kanda said. "If you're not even strong enough to protect what you've sworn to protect, you deserve to die."

The words stung. Kuroh glared up at Kanda from beneath his bangs, panting, bruised, exhausted. His throat tightened. Fear clutched at his heart but it wasn't only for his own life. The thought of Shiro dying because of his failure tore at him and he forced himself to stand on shaking legs.

"I…will not…let you hurt…Shiro," he gasped, his chest heaving with the effort to take in air. He swayed on his feet.

Kuroh lashed out, his ghostly projection aimed straight for Kanda's head. Kanda dodged, struck Kuroh in the gut, driving all the air out of his body. Kuroh crashed to the ground, gasping, coughing, struggling vainly, but he was once again on his knees.

Sweat poured down his face, mingling with blood and the tears that had sprung up from the last blow. He was quivering, clenching his fists, trying to regain control of himself.

Kanda watched, surprised the Silver Clansman had lasted even this long against him. Even more, Kuroh slowly raised his head again to meet Kanda's cold gaze.

"I will protect…my king," Kuroh said, still struggling for breath. He wouldn't let it end like this. He _couldn't_. Shiro was his king, Shiro's life his responsibility. He'd never thought he would ever serve another king so loyally after Ichigen-sama had died, but then he'd met Shiro and everything had changed.

"I will…protect Shiro." Kuroh reached out, tried to summon his projection with what little strength he had left, tried to send it after his discarded sword. "I will protect him. I will –"

A sharp click broke the night's silence. The rest of Kuroh's strength left him in a rush. Suddenly numb, he turned his head, found himself looking down the barrel of a gun.

"Shiro…?"

Only it wasn't Shiro who looked back at him, but something more sinister, using his king's face as a mask.

"I can't believe how blind you've been," he said, a wicked grin spreading across his face. "All this time and you had no idea. Heehee. The way you always tried to protect me. Would you really have died for me, Kuroh? Eh? That would have been great to watch. But the look on your face now. Ha! It's priceless!"

"Shiro…" Kuroh's hands were shaking.

"Shiro's not here, I'm afraid. I ate him. Swallowed him up! He was delicious! And you know, he kept crying your name the whole time. Some king! Ha! And you couldn't even tell. What kind of vassal can't even tell that his own king is gone, eh?"

Kuroh felt like the world was falling out from beneath him and he was powerless to do anything, watching events unfold as if from a great distance.

"Oh well," the Colorless King said. "It's been fun, but I have other matters to attend to now. Bye-bye, Yatogami Kuroh!"

Then the sound of a single gunshot.


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry for the delay. Life, you know?**

* * *

Chapter 5

Kuroh blinked. The sound of the gunshot still rang in his ears and yet he was still alive. The bullet hadn't hit him.

Something was blocking his vision, a mass of armored gray tipped with large talons. Kuroh let out a shaky breath, still uncertain.

Slowly, Allen lowered his arm, the anti-akuma weapon showing no damage from the bullet it had taken. His gaze was fixed on Shiro and that look was enough to make Kuroh's blood run cold. Even the Colorless King looked uncertain, having figured Allen beyond capable of helping at this point.

"Why…?" Allen's voice was deadly quiet. "Why did you kill my friend?"

For a moment longer, the surprised look on Shiro's face remained. And then it transformed itself into a wicked grin and he gestured with the gun. "I thought it seemed like a good idea at the time."

Without warning, Allen's arm lashed out, struck Shiro, sent him flying backward to crash into the ground. "Why?! _WHY DID YOU KILL LAVI?!_ He struck again, claws digging furrows into the ground.

"Sh-Shiro!" Neko cried.

Shiro summoned his aura to block Allen's furious attack and lift himself high off the ground. Allen was breathing heavily through clenched teeth and Kuroh realized he was still quite weak from the battle.

"I'm afraid I'll have to cut this short," the Colorless King said. "Though it's been fun, I really do have somewhere to be." With that, he zipped off, nothing more than a silver star streaking through the sky. Kuroh watched him go, feeling like all he'd been through, all he'd done to serve his beloved king, all of it had been for nothing.

Allen's anti-akuma weapon deactivated even as he stood unmoving, gazing up into the sky. Then he turned his head to look back at Kuroh and Kanda and tears glistened in his eyes. "Sorry I'm late."

Kuroh bit his lip, unable to look him in the eye. He still felt numb, unable to stand.

"Kuroh…" Neko's soft voice was just beside him and she was pushing Kotowari's hilt into his hand. His fist clenched around it and there was a sudden lump in his throat and he closed his eyes. How could this have happened? The Colorless King was supposed to be dead. Shiro had risked his life and Mikoto had sacrificed his to ensure it. So how…? His eyes were beginning to sting.

"Kuroh." A hand rested on his shoulder and he opened his eyes, found himself looking at Allen. The boy didn't even try to hide the tears that now ran down his face. "It's not your fault."

"I…" His voice broke.

"Come on. It's over now."

They returned to the alley and Kuroh's heart seized when he saw what was there, proof of the Colorless King's actions. Lavi seemed so small, huddled in the alley, still. Blood pooled beneath him and at this angle, Kuroh couldn't see the bullet hole that had taken his life and for that, he was grateful.

Allen fell to his knees beside the body of his friend and cried. Kuroh's heart broke at the sound of his desperate keening, Allen's face in his hands, shoulders shaking. Tears ran down Kuroh's own face and Neko was holding his arm, face buried in his jacket. Even Kanda stood by, silent, dry-eyed, and yet somehow managed to give off an air of mourning in his own way.

He wasn't sure how long they stayed there like that. Eventually, Allen removed his coat and draped it over Lavi. They had to keep moving. There was no way they could take the body with them. They needed to move fast if they were going to warn the Black Order and prepare them for the attack. His hands shaking, Allen removed the small black and white hammer from its holster on Lavi's belt, closing his hand around it.

"We'll need to take this back to Hevlaska," he said and stood.

They were all very tired though and Kuroh could barely stand anymore, still battered from his fight with Kanda. He cast a glance at the long-haired exorcist and wondered how he could seem so strong, unwounded. They'd only traveled a few blocks before Kuroh staggered, slumping against a nearby building.

"Kuroh!" Neko mewed, wrapping her arm around his, worry shining in her eyes. Kanda shot him a glance but for once said nothing scathing.

"I'll be fine," he said though he knew it was a lie. He felt for sure he would pass out before they got much farther. But then Allen was at his side, giving him a shoulder to lean on and Kuroh accepted gratefully, even though the exorcist himself must have been tired and weak.

Something yellow flashed out of the corner of his eye. "Timcanpy?" Allen said and the thing, looking like a golden ball with wings and a long tail, promptly alighted on Allen's head. "So _that's_ where you've been."

Kanda stopped abruptly and Allen shot him a worried glance.

"Someone's coming."

Kuroh could feel Allen tense up and Kanda's hand went to his sword. He heard footsteps and saw movement, straining to focus on it. A moment later, he let out the breath he didn't know he'd been holding.

"It's okay," Kuroh said. "They're friendly." He could never mistake that distinctive uniform for anything other than what it was. He had no idea how they'd gotten here or what had happened to them. All he knew was that Scepter 4 had arrived.

At their head was Munakata and beside him, Awashima was supporting Fushimi. They all looked battered and bruised. Munakata's gaze passed over them all, stopping on Kanda, who still had his hand on the hilt of his sword.

" _Oi, ano hi–_ " Fushimi said but Munakata cut him off.

" _Fushimi-kun_." Munakata's voice had warning in it. " _Hanasu na kudasai_."

" _Eh?_ " Fushimi looked at Munakata with indignation.

"Munakata-san," Kuroh spoke up. "It's good to see you." He kept it in English for the benefit of the exorcists.

It was all he could manage and a moment later, he passed out.

* * *

He made no attempt to hide his presence and so was not surprised when an akuma, a level two, stepped out of the shadows in its human form and held out its hand, the entire arm shedding its flesh and taking the form of a cannon.

"Noah," the figure said, undaunted, ignoring the threat.

"You're that boy who was traveling with the exorcists," a voice said from above and he looked up to see a dark-skinned young girl balancing effortlessly on a hovering umbrella with the head of a pumpkin. "You're kinda cute. Where are your friends?"

"What friends?" The Colorless King shrugged. "I was only hanging out with them because I wanted to see the Order for myself. It was a glorious trick, though. Ha! But they got boring. Wish I hadn't waited so long to try and kill that dog, Kuroh, though. Dangit. You seem like more interesting company anyway."

Road seemed taken aback by his rambling, thinking he wasn't quite sane. "So what? You'll betray the exorcists to us? We already have plans for them so I'm afraid you won't be needed."

"I know all about your plans. You're going to succeed. In one week's time, the Black Order headquarters will fall. The exorcists will escape but I did you a favor and killed the red-haired one. He was supposed to be this Bookman or some such but…not anymore." He was grinning widely now, still reveling in the sound of the gun and the smell of the blood. The exorcist hadn't even known what was coming, too busy tending to Allen's wounds to notice and too trusting to keep his guard up amongst friends.

It was the aspect of betrayal that he loved the most.

"Is that so?" Road said, hardly able to believe it. A sly grin spread across her face. "Then maybe I won't let the akuma kill you just yet. I have a feeling playing with you is going to be fun."

* * *

When Kuroh awoke, he found himself lying on a cot with a blanket over him. He winced from his bruises and sat up, noting that he was shirtless, his chest and shoulder neatly bandaged. He was in a small room and he wasn't alone. Several Blue Clansmen were slumped against the wall, snoring, and across from him, Allen was sleeping, huddled under a blanket. From outside, Kuroh could hear noises.

Spotting his shirt and coat folded neatly beside the cot, he donned them and stepped out the door. He followed the sound of voices down the narrow hallway and into a small kitchen where he spotted Munakata and Awashima in conversation with a middle-aged woman he'd never seen before. And one other.

"Kuroh!" Neko's familiar voice cried out and before he could avoid her, she was on him, wrapping her arms around one of his and nuzzling him. "I was so worried! I'm glad you're okay now."

Kuroh smiled down at her and patted her head. When she finally pulled away, he saw that her hands were wrapped in bandages.

"Kuroh."

Kuroh looked up to meet Munakata's steady gaze. "I'm glad to see you on your feet again. You took quite a beating."

Kuroh nodded. "And I'm glad to see you're alright too, Captain. We never did see the rest of the battle and I was worried you might have been overtaken." Even so, he noted the bandages peeking out from Munakata's sleeve and the bandage that covered Awashima's left temple and the ragged look to both of their uniforms. He let his gaze wander around the unfamiliar setting.

"Where are we?"

"A safe place," Munakata said and he gestured to the woman he'd been speaking with. "This is Verity Nowell. She's a supporter of the Black Order. After you passed out, the exorcists led us here and she's been gracious enough to let us stay."

"I may not have much, and certainly not enough food to feed all of you, but you are welcome to stay as long as you need while you recuperate," Verity said.

"Thank you," Kuroh said. He turned from her to face Munakata again and his expression was grim. "But we'll need to leave soon. Something's happened and now we have a chance to stop it. Where's Kanda?"

"Kuroh," Munakata said and suddenly his expression turned serious. "You can't do that."

Kuroh stiffened. Beside him, the worried look came back into Neko's eyes. "Of course we can. We have to."

Munakata sighed. "Allen and Kanda told me what happened. You've been through so much. But you can't change it. The past is the past and you shouldn't tamper with it."

Anger began to color Kuroh's cheeks and his mouth was set in a firm line. He knew better than to argue with a king but he couldn't just sit back and accept his word. Kuroh didn't belong to the Blue Clan, after all. "Who's to say what we can or cannot do regarding time travel? How long have you had the Rosen Gate in your possession? Do you even know how it works? People have died. Good people." His voice caught. "They deserve a second chance. We need to contact the Order."

"Kuroh," Munakata said warningly and then he sighed, pushing his glasses farther up the bridge of his nose, glasses different than the ones he usually wore. "Kanda already tried that. And every time he called, there was no answer. He even tried using that golem thing of Allen's, still with the same result. We can't get in touch with them to warn them. I fear that even if we were to travel to the Order right now to tell them, it still would make no difference."

Kuroh wasn't quite sure what to make of the Blue King's strange words. "You seriously don't believe time travel works that way, do you?" he said finally, dumbfounded. "That only happens in fictional stories because the author's too lazy to come up with a better explanation."

Munakata raised a brow at that. "Be that as it may, it's best to leave the past alone."

"I'm sorry, but I simply can't accept that. I've got to do something about this." With that, Kuroh turned and left the kitchen, Neko still clinging to him. Without being aware of it, he'd clenched his hands into fists, his nails digging into his palms. He still couldn't get the crazed look on Shiro's face out of his mind and now he felt hollow inside. The evil Colorless King he'd sworn to Ichigen-sama he would slay was still alive. And now it had his king. For he refused to believe that Shiro was lost forever.

 _I will save you,_ he vowed. _Even if it takes all that I have left, I will save you._

* * *

Outside, it was a beautiful day. Warm, only the slightest breeze, and quiet. A few clouds slid slowly across the bright sky.

Kanda scowled. His hand itched to draw Mugen from its sheathe and cut something. He wanted to return to the Black Order immediately and hadn't taken it well when that blue-clad police officer, Munakata, had calmly taken control of the situation. He idly entertained thoughts of slicing them all with his Mugen, an easy enough task regardless of their numbers, but he knew it wouldn't do much good. And Beansprout was still recovering and some unwanted part of Kanda warned him that Komui would be displeased if Kanda just left him behind.

Still, maybe it would be worth it to get away from these future people. For the most part, they avoided him, probably scared away by the stern look permanently affixed to his face. And then there was the moody one, Fushimi or whatever. Kanda wasn't sure what his problem was.

Fushimi stood with his arms crossed and cast a glance back at the door to the house. " _What is he thinking?_ " he mumbled under his breath in Japanese. " _Tch. So annoying._ "

Kanda glared. "I can understand you."

Fushimi's dull gaze settled on Kanda and he clicked his tongue. "I don't see why we're still here. We don't need any stupid exorcists breathing down our necks."

Kanda's hand went to the hilt of his sword. "Watch it or you might get cut by this stupid exorcist."

"I'd be happy to return the favor." Two knives slipped out of Fushimi's sleeve.

"Kanda!" a voice called out, appalled, and Kanda growled. Kuroh had just emerged from the house, seeming much recovered after nearly twenty-four hours of sleep. But he was not to be deterred and this man was so asking for it.

"Fushimi!" another voice shouted, female, stern, and Fushimi rolled his eyes, clicking his tongue. The blond woman now appeared in the doorway, somehow managing to appear strict and proper despite the dirt that stained her uniform and the tear in one of the sleeves. "Put the knives away. We're not here to fight."

Fushimi looked like he wanted to argue but in the end, he sighed and the knives disappeared back into his sleeve. He went to leave but not before shooting a murderous glance back at Kanda.

Kanda returned it full force. What was his problem?

"Kanda," Kuroh said again, quieter this time, as he approached. His shoulders were tensed and he still bore the scars from their battle. "I…" He clenched his fists and tried again. "I'm sorry we fought but I couldn't let you kill Shiro, even after what happened."

"Tch." Kanda folded his arms. "I would have killed both of you without a second thought. You were harboring a murderer. I might just decide to kill you after all."

Kuroh was taken aback. "Allies don't try to kill each other."

"My thoughts exactly."

Kuroh realized he'd made a mistake and resolved to try again. "That wasn't Shiro," he said quietly, chest tightening at the thought. "He's possessed by someone known only as the Colorless King, an entity that exists for the sole purpose of creating chaos. We thought he'd died before when Shiro tricked him into entering his body so that the former Red King, Mikoto, could slay him. But it seems that they failed." His voice was soft and he cast his eyes down.

"I couldn't care less about this Colorless King," Kanda said. "If he's still in Shiro the next time our paths cross, they can die together."

Kuroh's mouth was set in a firm line and he had to force his muscles to relax. It wouldn't do to start another fight. Instead he said, "We need to warn the Order."

"Hmph. I've tried. We'll have to return to warn them in person. In the meantime, I've contacted some other exorcists and told them the situation. They'll join us."

"More exorcists?" Kuroh had only met these three and he wondered just how many there were. "You plan on taking back the Order."

Kanda snorted. "Just don't get in my way." He turned and walked back toward the house.

Kuroh let out an angry breath. He wasn't sure about Kanda, wasn't sure he could trust the exorcist, and he was still tense after the fight they'd had, even now that he could understand why it had happened. But it seemed he had little choice. The Order was an ally in this dangerous time, perhaps his best chance of saving Shiro and returning to the future. And besides that, he'd come to see the people of the Order as friends – at least some of them – and felt he had to do something to help them. Sighing, he only hoped what Kanda was planning would make a difference.

* * *

Munakata wasn't pleased when the two new exorcists showed up at the house, one a girl with long dark pigtails, the other a tall man with black hair and a single shock of white that hung over one eye. They both wore grim expressions, but seemed relieved to see Allen, who beckoned them into a side room to explain the situation in more detail.

As soon as they were out of sight, Munakata rounded on Kuroh. "We're not to interfere."

"I didn't bring them here."

Munakata adjusted his glasses. "That young man doesn't take orders well, it seems. Just know that this is a dangerous course of action you're taking. Succeed in repelling the attack and you may prevent your past selves from traveling back in time, thus undoing your own actions here. It's an endless loop, in essence a paradox. This is why Scepter 4 is so interested in the Rosen Gate. The power to alter the past needs to be safeguarded. The little we do here, the better."

Kuroh's expression remained the same throughout the exchange but his mind was set. "It's worth the attempt," he said finally. "The Order tried to help us and I would like to return the favor. And besides that, the Noah have the Rosen Gate. If you're worried about its power falling into the wrong hands, there are no hands more wrong than theirs."

Munakata scrutinized him, his gaze cool and penetrating but Kuroh didn't back down. "You are not my clansman so I have no authority to give you orders. I am merely stating the facts."

"I understand. Regardless, I would like to request the Blue Clan's aid."

Munakata's expression remained as cool as ever but one eyebrow raised slightly.

"I'm requesting your help to take back the Order." The Blue King stiffened and Kuroh continued before he could give an outright refusal. "With all do respect, Scepter 4 doesn't have the influence here that it commands in our time. The Black Order does. While we're just strays stranded in time, cut off from everything that we know, the Order has resources. If anyone can help us, they can. Which brings us to the akuma, who are currently in possession of the Gate. The only person who can kill an akuma is an exorcist."

"You make a compelling argument," Munakata said once Kuroh was finished. He kept his level gaze fixed on the Silver Clansman, silent.

"And?" Kuroh said as politely as he could after the silence became uncomfortable.

A peculiar look came over the Blue King's face then, the shadow of a smirk. " _And_ …I think we are about to do something we have no right to do." He noted the slight look of surprise on Kuroh's face. "And if we survive this, we'll get your king back as well."

Kuroh didn't trust himself to speak so he merely nodded.

"Now, first thing's first. Where _is_ the Black Order headquarters located?"

* * *

"We don't have much time," Allen said when everyone was gathered in the small sitting room, making for a very cramped meeting. "Miranda and Marie are still too far away, so they're heading straight for headquarters."

"I also contacted Bookman," Lenalee said quietly.

Allen met her gaze and nodded. She and Krory had been a solemn pair upon hearing of Lavi's death. Lenalee had first met the Bookman's apprentice two years ago when he'd first joined the Order and Krory hadn't known him for hardly any length of time, but it had been Lavi, along with Allen, who'd helped him realize his true calling. Neither could believe that he was gone.

"We'll need to see if we can confine the akuma to the entrance hall," Allen continued. "Keep them away from the science division. Maybe we can make a difference."

"Scepter 4 can handle that," Munakata said. Kuroh had explained to him his own experience fighting the demons.

"Right. But it's the Noah we really have to watch out for. There will be two of them, a man and a woman. The woman seems to possess shape shifting abilities so once spotted, it's best not to let her out of your sight. As for the man, he has the ability to phase through objects. Whatever you do, don't let him touch you." The memory of Tyki's hand in his chest was still so fresh and sent a shudder down his spine. "You'll also want to watch out for his golems, butterfly-like creatures that eat flesh."

"It's quite an interesting time you live in," Munakata commented. He narrowed his eyes. "What I'd like to know is why no one had heard of such things until that day at the wharf." He'd lost several good clansmen to the akuma's attacks.

"We don't know why they might have been lying low for so long but it's obvious the uncovering of the Rosen Gate brought them out."

"Shiro and I had been keeping tabs of the Noah for nearly two weeks before the incident," Kuroh spoke up, eliciting surprised looks from Allen and Munakata. "At the time, we didn't know what they were, of course. But they'd seemed very interested in the clans. We caught them watching members of Scepter 4 and Homra. They were the ones who initiated the attack on Scepter 4. They wanted the Rosen Gate." He looked inquisitively at Munakata.

The Blue King sighed and adjusted his glasses. "Unfortunately I cannot confirm the current – or rather future – whereabouts of the Rosen Gate. The battle was against us. Getting a bit overconfident, the akuma's hits roamed too close to the Gate. They must have done some damage to it because the next thing I knew, I was in the middle of a Victorian road surrounded by injured officers and the warehouse was nowhere in sight. We'd been here for only a day before running into you lot."

"Hmm. Why would you have ended up farther in the past than us when you went in after?" Kuroh mused. "This Gate is seeming awfully unreliable."

"Granted, it was buried for quite some time. Perhaps it's broken."

"Which brings us to another point. If the akuma retrieved the Rosen Gate in this time period, why did they also try to take it in the future? I'd assume that means we must be successful in regaining it, but then why was it buried in the same place twice?"

"That is interesting."

"This is pointless," Kanda growled. "Who cares why the Gate does what it does? This is just a waste of time and more people might die because of it."

"Tch. Didn't figure you'd care that much," a lazy drawl answered.

"Kanda, Fushimi, I don't even want to hear it," Munakata said sharply before things escalate further. Kanda gave him a murderous stare while Fushimi merely rolled his eyes. "I'm afraid Kanda is right, however. There are lives at stake and while I can't know what disastrous consequences this will have on the timeline, we really cannot stay here much longer."

Any comments the two might have made remained unsaid.

"Right." Munakata turned to Verity, who'd been silently watching the exchange, and gave her a polite bow. "Thank you for letting us stay in your home. It is much appreciated."

"The exorcists have done much for the people of this town and for many others," Verity said. "And from the sounds of things, Scepter 4 has done much in your own time. It is an honor to be able to help."

Kuroh caught movement in the corner of his eye and saw that Allen was gesturing to him, motioning him away from the gathering. Shooting a quick glance at Neko, who was talking animatedly with Lenalee, he left the room and joined Allen at the other end of the house.

"Your king, Shiro," Allen said and Kuroh felt himself stiffen. "Can he be saved?"

Kuroh hesitated and then nodded firmly. "Yes. I have to believe that he can be." His words were firm even as the Colorless King's crazed statement echoed cruelly in his mind, that his king was beyond saving.

Allen nodded. "Good. I would hate for it to be otherwise." He turned to look at Kuroh and Kuroh was shocked to see the fire in the kind exorcist's eyes. "I cannot forgive the Colorless King for killing Lavi. When your king is free again, I will make sure he can't hurt anyone else." The conviction in his voice was startling.

"Allen…"

"You just concentrate on saving your king."

Kuroh wanted to say something more, but before he could form the words, Allen turned away and returned to the group. He bit his lip, uncertain about this grim side of Allen Walker, but not willing to dispute it. After all, if given the chance, Kuroh would cut down the Colorless King with his own Kotowari without a second thought.

* * *

The Noah were unlike any other humans the Colorless King had observed before and immensely distrustful of the newcomer though the girl, Road, seemed to take pleasure at the fact of his betrayal. He idly watched them and it was with barely suppressed glee that he thought about how wonderful it would be to possess one of those bodies, gain the power of the Noah. They were far from ordinary, but he could do it. And then came the decision he'd have to make next. Which should he possess first? So far, he'd only seen two of them in action and had witnessed their powers of shape shifting and phasing. But which one to choose? It was like that dilemma with the kings all over again except so much greater!

He couldn't help the strained laugh that escaped his mouth and he didn't care to hid it. Imagine the tricks he could pull if he could become any shape, any person! Or he could walk on air and pass through solid objects, even people. The absurd thought passed through his mind that if he had that power, he would be residing within one body which in turn could pass through another body at the same time! The image brought forth a fresh bout of laughter and he didn't see the disapproving frown Tyki aimed his way.

But wait, he would have to wait. Who knew what kinds of powers the other Noah had. There might be something even greater and more amusing than what he'd seen. Not to mention the ability to control the akuma. That could definitely come in handy.

Oh, but he simply couldn't wait. He wondered if anyone would notice if he took one of then now, perhaps the handsome-looking one.

 _You'll never succeed,_ said the voice in the back of his mind. His laughter died away and he scowled. _Now that Kuroh and the others know you're alive, it's only a matter of time._

Shut up.

You made a mistake in returning to Kuroh after what happened. You should have stayed away but you couldn't resist toying with him, could you? That will be your downfall.

Shut up!

All the same, Shiro's words rang true.

 _– After the Ashinaka incident, the Colorless King had emerged to find himself still in Shiro's body, the Silver King's power keeping him alive. The trauma of Mikoto's attack had sent the Silver King reeling somewhere farther back in his mind and so it had been the Colorless King who'd boarded the newly rebuilt and renamed Schattenreich, his body still damaged, weak. He needed to heal before he could return to the world below._

 _He'd at first been delighted upon feeling Shiro's shock and horror when he realized that his plan had failed. But he'd slipped too far back to easily regain control of this body that wasn't rightfully his in the first place. That hypocrite._

 _This didn't stop him from struggling though and the Colorless King's delight soon turned to annoyance._

Will you just stop that already? _he'd hissed after another failed attempt, putting down the knife he'd been using to slice up an apple._

What can you possibly be planning? _Shiro said._ The biggest advantage you had was that no one knew anything about you or even knew of your existence. They might think you dead now, but I know you. You won't be able to resist showing yourself and they won't be fooled so readily this time.

You needn't worry about it, Silver King. I've already got you. I can take the Blue King's powers now, no problem. It's a shame the Red King died before I could take his. Ooh, I wonder who will awaken to take his place? _He hoped it would happen soon._

You will not succeed. We will find a way to stop you.

Oho! But you forget one thing. I'm in charge of this body now. _Grinning widely, the Colorless King stood and spun about the observation deck._ I can do whatever I want! _He continued to move about, arms wide, catching glimpses of Shizume City far below him through the large windows._

 _A sudden stiffness seized him and he spun to a halt, almost lost his footing. His hand twitched, his arm trying to move of its own accord and he clenched his teeth, all joviality gone._

 _"No!" he shouted, fighting the will that had risen up against his own. "This is my body! Mine! I can do whatever I want with it!" As if to prove this point, he snapped up the knife from the table and brought it to his arm, cutting a long, thin slice in the flesh._

 _Shiro cried out in pain._

 _The Colorless King only laughed as blood welled up from the wound and flowed down his arm, dark and thick, and he watched it in gleeful fascination._

 _"You are powerless to stop me, Weissman. This is my body now." –_

The memory brought a grin of anticipation to the Colorless King's face. The kings would have to wait. For now he'd focus on his new, shiniest prize.


	6. Chapter 6

**Sooo, I'm still writing. Albeit slowly. I blame my scatterbrainedness, though in sad reality, I don't really have an excuse. But this chapter was kind of difficult to write and I'm not sure how I feel about it. There is a particular scene I'll get to write in a couple of chapters or so and that's my motivation. However long it takes to finish this, I WILL finish it. That will be all.**

* * *

Chapter 6

"Oh no. We're too late."

The face affixed to the great gates of the European Branch was slack, eyelids drooping, eyes glazed over and sightless. Miranda Lotto sucked in a breath, her heart quickening.

"So Kanda was correct," Marie said from her side. "He knew what was to come."

Miranda reached out a tentative hand, rested it on the Gatekeeper's still face. She bit her lip. "They're still fighting in there. We have to help them."

"We should wait for Kanda's group," Marie said. "According to his intel, there are Noah among the akuma. We cannot defeat them alone."

"But people are dying in there. We can't just leave them." Her own fear was palpable and something deep within her wanted to heed Marie's words to stay a safe distance. Her anti-akuma weapon was hardly a weapon at all. It had no offensive capabilities. And yet she remembered vividly what it felt like to be so helpless, so useless, and when she made the decision to become an exorcist, she'd vowed that she would never be like that again. When Allen and Lenalee had first found her, they'd seen more to her than simply a useless, clumsy woman who couldn't even hold down a job. They'd put their faith in her and she was determined to never, ever let them down. So despite the danger, she could never leave innocent people to die if there was something she could do about it.

"Marie is right." Miranda turned at the sound of the voice and found that a third exorcist had joined them, the aged Bookman. His face was grim, mouth set in a hard line. "At a time like this, we cannot afford to lose exorcists."

Miranda was torn, looking to her fellow exorcists and then to the Gatekeeper and she clenched her hands into fists. "I'm sorry, but I can't wait. At least I can use my Innocence to buy them some time before the others get here." Steeling herself, she pushed through the gate and rushed into the entrance hall, ignoring the protests from behind her.

There were screams and Miranda stopped short, her breath caught in her throat. There were dozens of akuma hovering in the air, firing relentlessly at those humans who couldn't escape quick enough. Somewhere among the horde was a gray-skinned woman and beside her, the air shimmered and warped and another akuma appeared seemingly from nowhere.

A group of finders were dead in its sights and Miranda didn't hesitate. Activating her Time Record, she cast a temporal shield over them even as an akuma took notice of her and aimed its weapons onto its new target.

Before it could so much as get off a single shot, clusters of black needles covered its body and it was destroyed, cutting off its startled shriek.

"Foolish woman," Bookman said. "No one benefits if you die."

Miranda grunted as the strain of holding the shield began to take its toll on her. She said nothing.

"Hmph. Protect these people. Marie and I will take care of the akuma."

Miranda simply nodded. As Bookman and Marie entered the fray, she allowed her shield to collapse, conserving her energy and she ran to join the finders, quickly locating an exit through which they could escape. She did her best to ignore the sounds of the akuma cannons, trusting the other exorcists to handle themselves. For the time being, she had to get those who couldn't fight out of the line of fire and hope their reinforcements arrived soon.

Sudden movement stopped her in her tracks and she found herself face to face with the female Noah. Her heart seized when she remembered her last encounter with one of the Noah, the girl Road, and the traumatic events of that night.

Saying nothing, Lulu Bell lashed out and Miranda scrambled to get out of the way as a whip-like arm hit her in the ribs, sending her sprawling to the ground. Instinctively, she activated her Time Stop again, shielding herself, wishing she had some offensive power to hit back with.

Lulu Bell obviously knew of that weakness and now used the akuma to keep Marie and Bookman busy so she could pick off who she deemed was the weakest of the lot. The thought made Miranda grit her teeth while she frantically tried to think her way out of this situation. She knew she couldn't hold the shield for long and besides that, she needed to conserve her strength for her Time Recovery invocation. Yet she couldn't do anything with the Noah pounding relentlessly at the shield.

Sweat broke out on her brow and she breathed deeply. Her powers were useless so long as they didn't affect her allies but she didn't dare release her shield now or that would be the end of her. With a pang, she realized how stupid she'd been, rushing in headlong instead of listening to her companions and yet those finders would have died if she hadn't. Still, what a stupid, _stupid_ mistake.

* * *

Lulu Bell was confident that one more strike would do it and she whipped her arm back in preparation when something crashed into her, sending her flying but she managed to regain her feet quickly with the grace of a cat. She found herself locking gazes with a female exorcist, her legs clad in long, gleaming black boots.

A jolt of surprise went through her but she quickly pushed it aside. She hadn't expected any other exorcists to be able to arrive so quickly.

Lenalee attacked again and Lulu Bell met her head on even as Miranda dispelled the shield and activated her Time Recovery. Lulu Bell felt a twinge of irritation at that but didn't show it. She would get to that one once she was finished with this opponent.

Lenalee kept focused on Lulu Bell, only the second Noah she had encountered after Road in the rewinding city. Akuma moved in and out of her peripheral, she saw them attacking Marie and Bookman who were soon joined by Krory, the three setting to herding the akuma rather than outright killing them and then something blue lit up the air. A large, gleaming sword appeared, hovering high above the action, grazing the ceiling. Even Lulu Bell's gaze flickered to the unusual sight and Lenalee took that opportunity to attack.

Deeper in the entrance hall, several akuma trained their cannons on the exorcists and fired, only to have their bullets crack against a wall of blue light as the bulk of Scepter 4 entered the castle, Munakata at their head. Bookman and Krory spared them a glance before turning back to the akuma just as Munakata snapped his fingers and the shield fell and the exorcists charged back into the fray. At Munakata's command, the Blue Clansmen bombarded the akuma with their power, not to kill but to draw their fire, to distract them from the real threat. And with each akuma bullet that was fired, a shield was thrown up to catch the impact.

Just on the outer edge of the shield, Fushimi watched everything, calculating, his own Blue aura flaring up around him as a bullet flew at him, grazing off his shield and crashing into the floor, sending stone shards scattering. The memory of the attack on the warehouse flitted through his mind and he clenched his teeth. These creatures, these akuma were just so…annoying. Under normal circumstances, he'd be back at the Annex, working at his computer, monitoring strain activity and checking up on Jungle. If he got especially bored, he would seek out Yata for another fight, the only thing that truly made him feel alive these days. Except now it seemed he was stuck with all this crap of time travel and paradoxes and demons and exorcists. It made life in Scepter 4 seen positively peaceful in comparison.

The nearest akuma crashed into the ground and disintegrated under the needle touch of Bookman's Innocence and beyond the horde, Fushimi caught sight of Lenalee battling the female Noah. Alongside her fought that loathsome young man, Kanda. Just the sight of him made Fushimi's blood boil and his grip tightened on his throwing knives even as one of the akuma broke free from Awashima's shield and came at him, causing him to leap to the side, expertly casting two knives at the akuma's distorted face. They bounced off harmlessly.

Fushimi landed, cold eyes focused on the demon though his mind was in another place.

 _After Scepter 4 had met up with the Black Dog, the strain, and those two exorcists, Allen and Kanda had lead them all to a known safe haven, the latter quite reluctantly, and not ten minutes had passed at Verity's place before Munakata had pulled him aside, his eyes holding a seriousness Fushimi hadn't seen since the death of the Red King._

 _"You are not to interfere," he'd said, his voice firm, brooking no argument. "No matter what happens, no matter what you see, or who, you must let everything play out the way it is supposed to."_

 _Fushimi had stared at Munakata, shaken. "How can you ask that of me?" he'd finally said. "When you yourself want to interfere."_

 _Munakata's glare only became harder and Fushimi realized just how shaken he really was, that his calm, in control attitude was just to mask the fact that the Blue King really didn't know the solution to their situation. Without saying anything further, he'd turned to walk away._

 _"So you're just going to let them die?" Fushimi said to his back, his annoyance briefly suspended in the wake of his disbelief._

 _Munakata's shoulders were stiff even as he'd hesitated, hovering on the verge of his next step. Then he'd continued on his way, leaving Fushimi to his confusion and uncertainty._

Since then, those emotions had become pure frustration that had only been building within him over the last few days and he used it now against the akuma that came after him, slamming it with his power and sending it reeling back into Marie's strings which constricted around it until it burst.

It seemed like their plan was working, though. Scepter 4 had the akuma surrounded, keeping them penned in with their shields, keeping them from seeking out those who couldn't fight who were even now evacuating. And within the shields were those who could fight, exorcists.

Another akuma exploded, hurtling a black-robed figure into the shield Fushimi had thrown up which, weakened from the blast, shattered and sent Fushimi stumbling back. Something hit him in the ribs, sent him spinning to the ground and suddenly feeling like he couldn't breathe, as if the old brand on his chest were trying to burn its way into his heart and through blurry vision, he saw dark shapes surface on the skin of his hands.

Then something was grabbing him and there was a sharp pain in his shoulder just above his collar and the next thing he knew was that he could breathe again and a man stood over him, the strange tall one with the skunk hair who looked almost like a different person from the one who'd first arrived at Verity's, silent and glum. This man looked a bit like a demon himself.

"You might want to stay back," the exorcist said, showing gleaming fangs, before launching himself back into the fray.

Nothing had ever fazed Fushimi like what he felt right now as he stared at the back of his hand, the flesh unblemished, and he wondered if he hadn't imagined it. His shoulder still stung though and when he put a hand to it, he felt twin dots of blood against his skin.

His hand went back to his sword, gripped it tightly. All he needed to do was remember that annoyance, that frustration, and he would be okay.

* * *

"Oho. This is unexpected," Tyki said, nimbly lowering himself to the ground on pads of hardened air. "Lulu Bell failed to do her part, I see." Before him stood Allen, Kanda, Lenalee, Kuroh, and Neko, grim-faced, bloodied. Sure enough, not more than a moment passed before the portal in the entrance hall collapsed. With Bookman, Marie, Miranda, and Krory working alongside Scepter 4, it was only a matter of time before the last of the akuma were destroyed.

Even so, Tyki allowed himself to grin in the face of this predicament. Perhaps fighting this many opponents at once would prove to be a challenge, just what he'd been hoping for.

Two of them attacked him at once, Allen and Kanda, and he dodged the sword swipe aimed for his chest, felt the very tips of armored talons graze his clothes. He only managed to leap up and avoid the next blow because he knew it would come and sure enough, Lenalee's kick just missed him from behind. No sooner did he dodge the attack than he launched his own, firing blasts of dark matter energy at Kanda as the swordsman came in for another attack. One bolt caught him a glancing blow, sending him reeling. Kanda wasted no time, trusting his regenerative abilities to keep him in the fight and a blade of pure energy formed in his left hand and he deflected the next blast which carved a crater in the wall.

His opponents were quick and Tyki soon realized it was all he could do to deflect their attacks which came from all sides, one right after another. He caught a blow from Allen's weapon, summoned a horde of Tease to slice at the exorcists' flesh, barely dodged the sudden whirlwind kicked up by Lenalee's boots, shoved Kuroh backward hard, but not before the clansman's sword nicked his arm. Each wound he sustained was minor and easily healed, but they kept coming and though the Tease sliced and bit at his enemies, they pushed forward with determination and Kuroh's Silver aura flared, repelling some of the golems.

Neko herself stayed back out of the way of the battle, wide-eyed and occasionally calling up illusions of the exorcists to attack Tyki, which he could dispel with a single blow, movements wasted when real enemies still struck at him.

His grin faded and he grew irritated. Sidestepping Kuroh's sword thrust, he reached out and deftly snatched Lenalee before she could attack again, catching her by the throat as she gasped and struggled, and he threw her in front of him, sent her crashing into Allen. He went sprawling, the girl atop him, and Kanda too from Allen's accidental blow to the ribs. Kuroh lunged then, aiming for Tyki's chest. The Noah caught Kotowari, stopping its movement, hand clenched around the blade. Dark blood oozed over his gray flesh and dripped on the floor and there was a dangerous look in his eyes. He was done playing games. With his other hand, he summoned a mass of dark matter energy and sent it slamming into Kuroh's chest.

The boy flew back, hitting the ground hard enough that his vision went black for several seconds and his ears rang and he found it hard to draw breath. He thought he heard someone shrilly calling his name as he wheezed, hands scrabbling as he tried to sit up, certain he would find himself all over with blood and dying. But it seemed his shield had saved him, though only just. He winced, sure at least one rib was broken. Dazed, he realized that Tyki was once again going after the three exorcists and some small part of him was irked that the Noah thought him the lesser threat.

Allen, Kanda, and Lenalee had already scrambled to their feet but Tyki was now upon them, ready to finish this. In desperation, Neko called up more illusions which Tyki ignored, letting the Tease tear them apart. He struck Allen down and went in for the kill, thrusting his hand into the boy's chest and ripping out his heart. The organ promptly vanished in his hand, along with its owner and the images of Kanda and Lenalee and realization dawned in his eyes. A growl sounded deep in his throat, Tyki unleashed a wave of dark matter energy, doing away with the illusion.

No sooner did he register the grim face before him than he realized a sword was buried deep in his chest. The blade twisted harshly before Tyki had the presence of mind to phase through it, staggering backward, stunned. Before he could get over his shock, Allen thrust out with his anti-akuma weapon, pinning Tyki to the ground, talons digging themselves in his shoulders, Innocence the only thing unaffected by his ability to Choose.

"What are you waiting for? Kill him," Kanda said, seeing Allen's hesitation. He would have stepped in and done the deed himself except that Allen's armored hand was in the way, pressing flat against the man's chest.

"He's human," Allen could only murmur, torn. He'd signed up to destroy akuma and free their souls that were bound to the Earl's will, not to kill humans. Even the memory of Road's cruelty when he'd first encountered her in the rewinding city was not enough to rid him of his doubts.

Kanda growled. "Then move aside. I'll do it."

Before Allen could decide either way, a black-clad figure landed at his side.

"The akuma are just about finished," Krory said, his eyes never leaving the Noah on the ground. "Are you going to kill him?"

"I –" Allen stopped, knowing which answer he was supposed to give and which one he would. "I can't –" This time it wasn't uncertainty that stopped him but the sudden pressure somewhere above his navel and his breath caught and whatever he was about to say faded into a haze of confusion.

"I see," Krory said, not even looking at him as he withdrew the dark blade that had been his arm and went to kneel by Tyki's side even as Allen staggered and his legs could no longer hold him and he collapsed. Somewhere in the distance, he could make out the still form of a black-robed exorcist among the rubble and then Lenalee was blocking his view, her eyes wide with worry. And then the pain began to set in and he gasped, feeling like he was burning from the inside out and his weapon deactivated and Lenalee was calling his name.

Just beyond them, Kanda rushed the two Noah but before he could reach them, Lulu Bell, back in her original form, sent a blast of dark matter energy at him and he reeled, gritting his teeth, but when he finally overcame the onslaught, they were gone.

After so many deaths and nearly a week of planning and the heartbreak and betrayal that had struck them, it was finally over. But in the rubble and breathing in the air tainted with dust and with death, they were not so certain it was a victory.

"Hold on, Allen, _please_ , hold on," Lenalee pleaded, cradling the exorcist's head in her lap. His forehead was slick with sweat, his teeth clenched, muscles tense, but he didn't make a sound. Lenalee kept one hand placed firmly over the wound in his stomach, applying as much pressure as she dared.

On the other side of the entrance hall, the last of the akuma destroyed, Marie, Bookman, Miranda, and Scepter 4 were at last able to stand down. The shields fell and the sparking Blue Sword of Damocles vanished. Bookman immediately went to Krory's still form, examined him, and declared that he would live, though not without a splitting headache. Two Blue Clansmen had died and many more were injured, several slumping to the ground where they stood to nurse their wounds.

"Bookman!" Lenalee called and the elderly exorcist, taking in the dire situation, left Krory to Fujioka's care and came hurrying over. By this point, Allen had lost consciousness, still in a way that worried Lenalee, his breaths quick and shallow.

"Let me see," Bookman said and placed a hand beside Lenalee's, ready to staunch the bleeding but then a third hand laid itself across theirs and Lenalee's head jerked up.

"Allen?" she said hopefully, but his eyes were still closed in sleep. Yet his hand had moved on its own, now covering the wound, the red disfigured flesh warm. A light glow emanated from it as if the weapon were activated and Allen let out a gasp and then went limp.

"Allen?"

Slowly, Bookman removed their hands and saw that though the area around the wound was sticky with blood, the wound itself was not bleeding. A white-ish film covered the hole and though Allen's breathing was still pained, he might not die right there on the floor after all.

Lenalee looked up to meet the old Bookman's kohl-rimmed gaze. "Did his Innocence just…?"

Bookman nodded. "It seems to have acted on its own to save its host."

"I've never heard of it doing anything like that before." Lenalee's voice was quiet.

Bookman matched her own volume, deep in thought. "Neither have I. Now help me get him someplace to rest. With any luck, the akuma will have left the infirmary alone." With that, the two took Allen away, soon followed by a couple of clansmen carrying Krory and Marie supporting a tired Miranda. Kanda went off on his own to assess the damage. Those left in the entrance hall sat in silence, the only sound the ripping of cloth as superfluous pieces of clothing were made into makeshift bandages.

Awashima found her captain sitting apart from his men, his coat tattered, a new scratch on his face, hair slightly damp from sweat. He didn't look at her as she slid wordlessly down beside him or pull away when she began to dab at the cut with a piece of cloth.

Eventually, she broke the silence, saying only, "You were being reckless."

"Hmm. I didn't expect you to criticize so soon after a battle."

"I am only stating that it would be a harsh blow against morale if you were to exceed your Weismann limit and die."

The corner of his mouth twitched in the faintest hint of a smile at her awkward attempt at a joke. "These creatures are unlike anything we've fought before. Even if I exceeded my Weismann level, it still might not be enough."

Awashima said nothing to that, but her normally emotionless gaze now revealed the worry she felt as she gazed upon her king.

"He wasn't here," Munakata finally said after several minutes had passed. "The Colorless King. With all this chaos, I would have thought he'd show up."

"And you're sure he hasn't?"

Munakata nodded. He narrowed his eyes, watching the activity in the entrance hall. He still thought about it a lot, the image of Mikoto with his hand in Shiro's chest and then that broken Red sword falling out of the sky. All of that had been for nothing. The Colorless King may not have shown his face at the Black Order, but he knew with utter certainty that they would encounter him again before all of this was over.

* * *

Bookman soon took over the infirmary and was left to watch over Allen, Krory, Miranda, and several Blue Clansman as Marie rushed off to deliver the news of the Noah's withdrawal to Komui and the others. He was able to deal with broken bones and open wounds well enough and Krory and Miranda would be fine with a bit of rest, but he worried about Allen. From the look of things, the boy would survive, but the way the wound, which by all rights should have killed him, was healing was wholly unnatural. He only imagined what Central might do if they discovered this. Perhaps look for a way to allow all Innocence to heal their hosts and if discovering the mysteries behind the process required experimentation, so be it. Bookman had only been to Central once and though he'd remained impassive and neutral throughout the brief visit, he'd learned that they weren't above such things so long as it meant success in their holy war.

Eventually, he was joined by Lenalee who pulled up a chair and sat by Allen's bed, silent. She watched her friend as he slept, breathing easily despite the pain of his wound. Timcanpy was perched on the edge of the pillow and nibbling at the ends of his hair.

"We'll have to go after this Rosen Gate soon, won't we?" Lenalee said after several minutes had gone by in silence.

Bookman grunted. "Such a device in the Noah's hands will easily spell catastrophe for the Order."

"Then we really have no choice." She reached out and prodded Tim who lazily opened his mouth, showing off tiny white teeth, before going back to his chewing. Bookman got up and fetched fresh bandages to replace Hidaka's, which had gone red from the cut to his arm.

"Everyone is sure it's still in Japan," Lenalee went on. "And reports state that Japan is overrun with akuma and under the Earl's control so it makes sense for them to keep it in the country. Which means we'll need all the help we can get. But…" She clenched her fists in her lap. "We've already been through so much, Allen and Kanda especially."

"All the more reason to find that Gate and put an end to this."

Lenalee's eyes widened and she whipped around, almost knocking the chair over as she shot to her feet. "Komui!" Despite her own aches from the battle, she rushed forward and caught her brother in a hug.

Komui returned it, holding her tightly. "I'm so glad you're okay, Lenalee." His voice was filled with relief and yet when Lenalee pulled away to look at him, she saw tears glistening in the corners of his eyes.

"I'm okay, brother. You know I can handle myself."

"I know."

"I'm going to Japan for the Rosen Gate."

Komui's voice was strained. "I know." Finally, he looked up and took in the wounded in the infirmary. "I've know a ship captain who I'm sure will be willing to take you and how many exorcists we can spare to Japan."

"We had some help too," Lenalee said. "I don't know if we would have lasted so long without Scepter 4 and Kuroh and Neko."

A question formed on Komui's lips but he hesitated and it went unasked. Instead he said, "Kanda filled me in. I'll have to thank them for their aid. In the meantime, this place could use some cleaning up and you need to get ready for your jouney. You, Kanda, and Miranda will be going to Japan. Krory too if his injury is really as trivial as Kanda said."

"What about Allen?"

Komui let his gaze linger on the boy's still form, his expression uneasy. "He's too severely injured. Whatever his Innocence is doing, he needs to rest. He stays here."

Lenalee nodded sadly.

"You should get some rest too." Lenalee took in his rueful expression and knew that he wanted her to stay here and be safe but his position as chief prevented him from doing so and even if he did voice his fears, Lenalee would have fought to go anyway. She was an exorcist. It was her job.

So despite her worries, she didn't argue with him. She really was very tired.

* * *

They had their backs to him. They spoke in quite tones which he strained to hear but the words made no sense. He tried to catch up to them, but no matter how fast he ran, they always remained ahead of him even though it didn't seem like they were moving at all.

The one on the right turned his head slightly and he stopped, puzzled, unable to make out the features of a face that should have been so familiar.

"Mana?"

The man on the right tapped his companion's shoulder and pointed. The second figure turned to look.

And then there were shouts and the sounds of fighting and the two figures dissipated as if they were nothing but mist, leaving him alone to stare into a bleary landscape that quickly faded into the haze.

"You're quite reckless, Allen," a voice said but when he turned around, he could not find its source. "You could have died. If it wasn't for your Innocence, you would have."

"Who are you?"

"I honestly didn't expect to meet you in this manner. Something a bit more…dramatic, I would have thought. Oh well."

"Answer me. Who are you? Why can't I see you?"

"You're little brush with death even woke me from my nap. And I was having the most wonderful dream too."

"Just tell me who you are."

"Oh, but I think you already know."

"Hey now, wait a second!"

But the voice did not respond and then even the haze faded and enveloped him in warm darkness.

* * *

Allen Walker opened his eyes.


	7. Chapter 7

**Camp NaNoWriMo is so motivating.**

* * *

Chapter 7

It was a cold morning with the sea spray blown in from the harbor when the group of travelers arrived at the docks. After much discussion and some quarrelling, it was decided that Kanda, Lenalee, and Krory would board the ship, despite protests from some of the other exorcists. Protests which Kanda had quickly silenced by stating that the others would be needed to help headquarters get back on its feet and there was no guarantee the Noah wouldn't attack again. Naturally, they were accompanied by Kuroh and Neko and by the surviving members of Scepter 4. Now, as the carriage pulled away, they stood and looked out over the harbor.

Kuroh shot an uneasy glance at the one unexpected member of their group and wondered if the boy was too stubborn for his own good.

Allen had woken up shortly before they were due to leave and had insisted upon coming, despite the grievous wound he had taken which seemed to have healed at an alarming rate. Komui, Bookman, and Kanda had been against his coming, the former two worried for his health, the latter out of annoyance. Yet that hadn't stopped him and so here they all stood, ready to disembark.

The vessel they were to go by was a merchant, a brig. Two masts towered over the deck, their sails neatly furled, the web of the rigging leaving an intricate network of shadows on the weather deck. At the stern and beneath the doused lanterns, was a plaque bearing the name _Halifax_. Sailors were busy loading on the last of the cargo for trade with China, lowering the crates into the hold. Overseeing this all was the captain, a man with weathered features and a long coat buttoned up the front and a tricorn. He met the travelers at the base of the gangplank.

"We're grateful for your assistance," Lenalee said once they'd all introduced themselves and the captain had introduced himself as Captain Staunton.

The captain nodded. "This isn't the first time I've had to ferry any of you lot. First time passing so close to Japan though. Dangerous waters around there."

"So we've heard," Kanda muttered. "I wouldn't expect a merchant to dare make the attempt."

Staunton frowned at his blunt tone. "I'll get you there."

With that, they were given cramped quarters near the stern and it seemed to take forever for the cargo to be all lashed down, for the last-minute preparations to be made to the captain's satisfaction. Just when Kanda was about to inquire after how much longer it would take, the gangplank was taken away, orders were being shouted, lines were cut loose, and the courses were let out and filling with wind. And then they were off and while it seemed to have taken forever for them to be under way, it seemed like no time at all before the land receded behind them.

"You're worried about them," Lenalee said once the shoreline was a dark smudge on the horizon as she came to stand by Allen at the stern rail.

Allen didn't say anything, his gaze fixed on the horizon.

"I'm sure they'll be fine." She put all of her confidence into those words, partly to convince herself. After all, the Noah had attacked them in their stronghold once and only by some miracle had the Black Order kept them off, though not without casualties.

After a hesitation, Allen looked back at her and smiled the smile she realized with a start that she hadn't seen in so long. It reminded her of when he had first come to the Order, timid and uncertain, a stranger who hadn't yet had his heart hardened against the threat that was the Noah.

"Yeah," he said. "There's really nothing to worry about." But despite his words and his smile, Lenalee wondered if he truly believed it.

She left him there to be alone with his thoughts and shot a glance at the quarterdeck where the captain's second mate was at the wheel. They were sailing smoothly over the water at a beam reach, the wind sweeping across the deck and tousling her long hair. She knew they had a long voyage ahead of them and it would be some time before they returned, before she would see her brother again. But their task was one of utmost importance and so the journey had to be made.

Uneasy thoughts and doubts slowly began to fade as days turned to weeks and then to months as they sailed and more than one of their group occasionally wished the Rosen Gate's remote hadn't burnt out so easily. It could have saved them from the sheer boredom of the voyage, each day blending into the next until it was far too easy to lose track of time and they would have to shock themselves back into reality by taking a glance at the ship's calendar.

Twice they sailed through stormy waters. The first, it rained for three days straight. The second, for nearly a whole week, bitter cold winds lashing the sails and waves sending salty froth over the decks. Two sailors died, one swept overboard, the other struck in the head and killed cleanly. It was an exhausting ordeal but one which finally passed and gave way to calm waters and sunlight.

To occupy themselves, Allen, Lenalee, Krory, and Kuroh volunteered to take part in some of the ship's everyday activities, learning the ropes as it were.

Even Neko stopped bouncing around after awhile and soon took to sleeping wherever and whenever.

When Japan's dark shores finally came into view, they were all called up on deck and the exorcists could feel the palpable darkness radiating from the island. As it drew nearer, a boat was lowered and they were to go ashore with the captain's promise that he would continue patrolling the nearby waters for a week to wait for their return.

The shore was barren and deserted and it immediately set Lenalee on high alert. She kept scanning the skies, looking for the dark shapes of akuma flying by overhead but she didn't see any.

"Where are they all?" Kuroh said as the tension became unbearable.

As if on cue, something shifted in the bleary landscape and a creature came flying at them. Immediately, weapons were drawn and activated as a gray, long-limbed akuma swatted at them with its disproportional paws. Kanda's sword nicked it in the side, sending it into a clumsy sprawl upon the ground. It was then that Lenalee noticed the gashes in its side and how one of its feet was twisted severely and useless.

The akuma groaned and muttered, its teeth too long to fit in its mouth as it turned back to the group. "Kill you, kill you, kill you," it rambled and lunged at them again. "Kill you kill you _kill you KILL YOU."_

Lenalee darted to the side and kicked at it and it howled and turned its dead stare on her. "Kill you kill you ki –"

"Shut up," Kanda said, his sword thrust straight through the akuma's middle. The creature writhed and tried to get him with its claws and then howled when he twisted the blade cruelly in its flesh, widening the wound. Its limbs curling, it convulsed several times and fell still. Kanda removed his sword in disgust.

"Something happened here," Allen said. "Did you see the way that akuma was injured? There might be other exorcists around."

Having watched Kanda quickly dispatch the injured akuma, Munakata eyed its disintegrating corpse. "Whoever it was won't last long with the numbers of akuma in this country. And neither will we. We need to keep moving."

The rest agreed but Allen kept glancing back at where the akuma had died, its body already disintegrated. A sense of unease fell over the group.

Besides that one lone akuma, it seemed this part of Japan was deserted. The more they walked, the more it became apparent. But this near to the Rosen Gate's location, how could that be?

When they finally came upon it amid the ruins, they stopped and stared and Kuroh clenched his teeth while Neko cried out.

"You actually came," the Colorless King said. He was lounging against the Gate and looking very much like he'd been waiting for them to arrive. Kanda drew Mugen from its sheathe, eyes narrowed.

"What happened?" Allen asked, wanting to learn the answer before any fighting broke out.

"Hmm?" He shrugged. "It all happened pretty fast. Some maniac with a gun. Who'd have thought?"

Allen's eyes widened and then they narrowed in suspicion. "Wait a minute. You don't mean…?" He couldn't finish, the mere thought enough to make him ill.

"How should I know? I hid in an abandoned building."

"Tch." Kanda pointed his sword at the so-called king. "You're a coward. This is the being you're all so afraid of?" he said to Kuroh.

"Actually, I really don't blame him," Allen said and Lenalee realized it was best to steer the conversation away from certain things.

Shiro's face broke into a grin when he noted the fury in Kanda's expression. "Still not over the fact that I killed your friend, huh?"

Kanda muttered something under his breath, his eye twitching.

"I'm sorry. I didn't quite catch that."

"He wasn't my friend," Kanda said and charged, activating Mugen as he did so, ignoring the shocked cries of the others. "In fact, I hated his guts!" The blade came down but suddenly Shiro wasn't there anymore.

"That was pathetic," Shiro said from somewhere above and Kanda gritted his teeth, drawing his blade back for another attack. "I'm up here."

Kanda swiped his sword through the air, unleashing a horde of netherworld creatures. Somewhere behind him, the others were yelling and it was really annoying.

"Shut up while I'm fighting!" he shouted back at them and then took another swipe at Shiro but the evil king kept dodging, floating around like this was some game. It only served to make him angrier.

"You're actually pretty good at that," the Colorless King said as he floated higher above Kanda's head, forcing the exorcist to look up at him. "Must have taken years of practice. But a lot of it's muscle memory, isn't it?" A thoughtful look crossed his face. "I can deal with that."

The yelling didn't stop and Kanda thought that Kuroh was shouting something about eyes. Whatever nonsense it was, he wished they'd all shut up about it.

Kanda went in for another attack but this time, instead of continuing to float out of his reach, the Colorless King darted in and Kanda realized with a start that there was something wrong about his eyes. Something was moving inside them, something that made his gut clench even as he stared, transfixed, and the shouting dimmed down to a distant roaring.

* * *

"Kanda!" Allen cried and lunged, trying to get between the exorcist and the Colorless King with his anti-akuma arm extended.

Shiro fell back as the talons nicked him.

Mugen clattered to the ground and then Kanda was screaming, the heels of his hands digging into his eyes. It was a horrible sound.

"Kanda?" Allen said, stunned.

"Get back," Kuroh said and then turned to Kanda who was now on his knees on the ground. "Fight him, Kanda." Though he was losing hope of the exorcist succeeding, despite the strength he'd shown in battle.

Eventually, his struggles ceased. Kanda was left panting, eyes still closed and Allen's gaze was darting between him and Kuroh, uncertain.

Kanda's hand wrapped around the hilt of his sword and brought it in a sweeping arc in front of him and Allen jumped back just in time. He could feel the breeze of the blade's passing. Then Kanda was getting to his feet but it was no longer Kanda. There was a wild look in his eyes and a flicker of amusement that he had never before seen on the stern exorcist's face.

"I rather like this one," the Colorless King said. "Good reflexes. And strong. A lot stronger than that Silver King, although his abilities are quite handy. But for now, I think this body will do nicely."

Allen struck out at the Colorless King with talons splayed but with Kanda's agility, the attack was easily dodged.

The Colorless King laughed, a strange sound coming from Kanda's mouth. "I'd have thought you knew better than that! Doesn't Kanda usually beat you during sparring sessions?"

Allen set his jaw. "Give him back."

"Why? You don't like him."

"Give him back."

"When you have your mind set on something, you really can't think of anything else, can you?" The Colorless King walked over to where Shiro was, still dazed, and rifled through the boy's jacket, coming out with something that looked an awful lot like the remote the Noah had used to control the portal at Black Order headquarters. "I'll tell you what," he said, tapping a button on its surface. "Why don't we play a game? I'm tired of this time period. I miss TV, I miss cell phones. I'm going back home. Feel free to follow me." He fiddled with the remote some more and the portal was activated. He stepped toward it. A wicked grin spread across his face as he gripped Mugen in one hand. "And, you know. Catch me if you can."

Behind Allen, Fushimi uncharacteristically lunged forward and Hidaka yelled something and then the Colorless King stepped through and disappeared and on the other side of the portal – _"Ready your swords," rain lashing against the roof, screams, the sound of clashing swords._

"Damn it," Munakata said, torn. "Alright, men, we go through. We can't let the Seventh King get away."

A resounding "Yes, sir," was the reply and the exorcists were all in agreement. Even if the Colorless King hadn't been working with the Noah, his existence posed enough of a threat by itself.

Kuroh went to Shiro's side and had to put out an arm to stop Neko from glomping him. "Shiro? Are you alright?"

Shiro was still dazed, but his eyes focused on Kuroh and realization struck. "I failed, didn't I?"

"No one could have known he was still alive."

"But I thought it would work. Mikoto…he died to avenge Totsuka's death but nothing came of it."

Kuroh bit his lip. "We have another chance to take him down," he said and hoisted Shiro to his feet. "We're going through the portal back to our time and we're going to make sure we get it right this time."

"Portal?"

Kuroh smiled reassuringly. "I suppose your memories are a little fuzzy. That's okay." It was best not to remember, anyway, he thought. Shiro had already murdered one person under the influence of the Colorless King. He didn't really need to know about the second.

Scepter 4 were the first through the portal the Colorless King had so graciously left open for them and then Allen went through, itching for another chance at the king and then Lenalee and Krory. Without looking back, Kuroh, Shiro, and Neko followed.

They came out disoriented, dizzy, blinking, in a crater dug into the earth amid splinters of wood in a building that no longer had a roof and sported a large hole in the wall. Besides the new arrivals, the place was deserted.

"What a dirty trick," Kamo said.

"He's given himself a head start," Awashima said.

"It won't matter either way," Munakata said. "We'll catch him."

Outside, there was the sound of a car door and then footsteps and then Benzai peered inside and blanched. "Captain! You're back!"

"I take it we've been gone awhile?"

"Only four days, sir. We've been managing alright, but it sure is good to see you."

Munakata nodded. "We'll be heading back to headquarters immediately. I need you to get medical help as I've got injured with me. Awashima, gather all senior personnel. Our first and foremost task now is to find and capture the Colorless King."

"The Colorless King?" Benzai sputtered. "You mean he's back?"

"Yes. Awashima will fill you all in later. And on our way to headquarters, I'll need you to fill me in on just what has happened these past four days and where in the world that blasted portal has gone."

* * *

"I don't understand," Lenalee said. "The Noah just _left_?" That made it twice now that they had retreated during a fight in which they could have won. It didn't make any sense. The Noah were powerful and very very hard to kill. What had prompted them to abandon the battle and the device which they surely had come for which was even now sitting in a large space in the west wing of Scepter 4?

"They were called back," Benzai said. "Their leader seemed very angry at them. I don't think they were attacking us on his orders."

"The Millennium Earl was _here_?" Allen blanched. It was a wonder anyone had been left alive.

"Who?" Benzai looked at him, at a loss.

"The Millennium Earl. He's the leader of the Noah. But why would they be doing anything against his orders? I still don't know much about them, but I know enough to know that's weird." Allen pondered that for a second. "Did you get a good look at him?"

"Well…no. All we heard was this voice ordering the Noah to 'come back home' or something and when they didn't seem to want to, he said something really rude and they finally did."

"…huh."

"Anyway, after the attack, we realized that everyone who was inside the building was either dead or had disappeared. I was…ah, outside at the time." He seemed a little embarrassed about it and then plowed ahead with his story. "We searched the grounds but could find no sign of the captain or anyone else so we had to assume it had something to do with the portal which was powered down when we got to it. The swordsman who'd come through it initially was also gone." Kuroh winced, now that he knew precisely who that swordsman had been.

"Akiyama was put in charge and we decided to move the portal to Scepter 4 where our scientists could study it and try to figure out how it works. We've managed to make some progress, actually."

"Can you control where and when it leads to?" Allen asked.

"Ah…about that, er…well, no."

Allen nodded, having not expected a better answer.

"We'll get it stabilized," Fujioka said with newfound confidence. "Perhaps then everyone will stop bouncing around time all willy-nilly."

"Good," Munakata said. "Then I'll leave you in charge of the scientists. Maybe we can get something good out of this, after all."

"Um, Captain," Allen said hesitantly. "Do you really think it's wise to experiment with this thing? Or to keep it here for that matter. The Noah may have been recalled but that doesn't mean the Earl won't ever change his mind about it. I would think it's better off destroyed."

Munakata paused for several seconds, scrutinizing the boy. "You're right. But with such dangerous enemies at our door, we can hardly get rid of the one thing that might give us a fighting chance."

Allen didn't seem too sure of that but he didn't say anything.

* * *

Days were spent studying the Rosen Gate and patrolling for the Colorless King, but they never found him. Neither did they see any sign of the Noah or their akuma. The exorcists stayed in the dormitories of Scepter 4 and, in preparation for the fight they knew they would see eventually, they sparred in the gymnasium, much to the fascination of the observing Blue Clansman who had never seen such strange weapons before.

Eventually, Munakata received word from Fujioka that the Rosen Gate was stable and he called the exorcists and the Silver clansmen to the Gate Chamber as some had taken to calling it.

Fujioka had hooked the Gate up to several sensors and cords snaked across the ground which was covered in a carpeting of papers, readings scribbled on them in Fujioka's messy scrawl. The symbols that covered the Gate was drawn on a whiteboard but there were more question marks next to them than actual translations.

"I managed to rig up a remote to control it," he said during his long-winded explanation that had been hard to follow, especially for the exorcists as he kept forgetting and slipping into Japanese. The remote was a big, clunky thing on the desk with several buttons, all of them labeled.

"And we'll be able to go wherever or whenever we choose this time?" Munakata said.

"Precisely. We've already tested it out and managed to pick up some groceries without actually going out the door." So that explained the sacks of chips and soda in the corner.

"Good job." Munakata shot a glance at Allen. "When you've decided to return home, no more long sea voyages."

Allen nodded. "We won't leave without Kanda, though."

"I know. It won't be an easy task separating him from the Colorless King, though."

"I know." Allen hesitated, glancing at Lenalee and Krory and something passed between the three of them before he again faced the Blue King. "We'd like to ask a favor, though. We want to go through the Rosen Gate to the Black Order of this year."

Munakata raised an eyebrow. "Thinking you might get some more help?"

"Not…not exactly. We just have things that we need to figure out."

The Blue King seemed to mull it over and then nodded. "Alright. Fujioka, power it up."

"Yes, sir." Fujioka seemed quite pleased with the whole thing and went to work and seconds later, the Gate thrummed and the familiar knot of blue energy came into being. "I can't leave it open indefinitely, though."

"That's fine. Shut it down and reopen it in five hours," Allen said.

"Right." Fujioka made some adjustments on the remote, settling the other end of the portal at the right place. "It's all set."

"Thanks." Allen paused in front of the portal, uncertain, but with his allies at his side, he took a deep breath and walked forward.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Allen stepped out onto dead ground and he had to pause to orient himself and allow his eyes to adjust to the dimness. When they did, he saw the imposing structure of Black Order headquarters looming above him, dark against the cloudy sky, and he was reminded of the first time he had come here what seemed like so long ago. Frankly, it had been terrifying. He smiled at the thought.

Lenalee and Krory emerged from the portal behind him and stood for a moment to adjust as he had. Krory was visibly gawking and Allen realized with a start that this was only the second time he had been to headquarters. The first time had been for the battle against the Noah and he hadn't had much time to really appreciate the architecture. Now though, the castle was old and dull and covered in lichens. He hated to admit it, but the place looked dead.

"Come on," Allen said and the three of them made it to the gates which were bare, the face of the Gatekeeper long gone. No one greeted them upon entering or welcomed them home. All of their friends were long dead by now. From the looks of things, no new people had taken their place.

"This is horrible," Krory said. The entrance hall was trashed, one wall collapsed in a heap of rubble that had never been cleaned up.

"I'm sure they just moved to another location," Allen said, trying his best to believe it. After all, it wasn't unheard of. Perhaps in the wake of the battle with the Noah, Central had ordered headquarters to move.

"Then is it worth it to stick around here?" Krory said. "Shouldn't we check out one of the other branches?"

"We will. First, I want to look around a bit more, though." Allen realized that Lenalee hadn't said a word since coming here and he turned to look at her and then stopped. "Lenalee?"

She was moving stiffly, her head down, but when he spoke her name, she sped up and went past him. "I'm fine. Let's just get this done," she said abruptly. Allen immediately knew what that was all about, but he decided not to press it. Coming here was hard for all of them.

It was especially hard when they reached the cafeteria, which was empty and dark and every surface was covered in dust, the memories of many a communal meal long forgotten. Not far was Allen's room which he had chosen specifically for its proximity to the food despite the creepy interior decorations which he had never gotten around to removing. Besides the thick layer of dust, it was just as he remembered, undisturbed right down to the packet of bills stuffed into the bottom drawer of the dresser which even now made him sick to think about.

"We should check the library," he decided. Krory peered into the room, wondering what had upset him, before scurrying after.

It was deathly quiet in here so everyone stiffened when they heard the sound of rustling.

Allen tensed and held up his arm but didn't activate it.

"Do you suppose the Noah have taken over?" Krory said.

"I wouldn't think they'd leave the place in such poor condition," Lenalee said.

"What if they decided to come back?"

"After a hundred years?"

"Guys," Allen hissed for the rustling was growing louder and whatever it was could definitely hear their urgent whispering. He braced himself.

"Mrow?" A cat peered around the corner and everyone visibly relaxed.

"It's just a cat," Allen said and shook his head.

"That's what you were all afraid of?" Krory said as he took a step forward and the cat, a silver tabby, nuzzled his robe. "He's kinda cute."

"You were scared too, Krory," Allen said.

"Nonsense. Look at this little face!" The cat made no protest when Krory picked it up and Allen had to admit it was cute. "Hey, I think I found the library." Bold, now that the moment of anxiety was over with, he stepped forward into the library. And promptly vanished with a startled "oof!" followed by an irritable "ow!"

"Krory?" Allen and Lenalee raced down the hallway and stopped at the entrance to the library to find Krory picking himself up off the floor in a rush.

"There's a homeless guy sleeping here!" he accused, pointing one long finger at a pile of blankets and newspapers which was even now shifting.

"I'm not homeless, you idiot," said a muffled voice and then a head appeared. It was indeed a man, his face lined, gray hair tousled from sleep. "You should be nicer to your elders and not step on them."

"Um…who are you?" Allen said.

The old man squinted up at him as if trying to focus and he seemed to study the exorcist. "Your uniform looks oddly familiar," he muttered. "Aw, hell, I guess it doesn't matter anyway. I don't really have a name so you may call me Bookman."

"Bookman?" All three of the exorcists' heads snapped up at that.

"That's right."

"B-but…" Allen didn't know much about the Bookmen and he'd only ever met two. "What are you doing in this place?"

The Bookman shrugged. "It seemed convenient."

Allen remembered his own harrowing journey to headquarters and the climb up those cliffs that nearly killed him. "What part about that is convenient?"

"Anyway, no one was using it," Bookman went on. "I never expected any kids to come exploring this way, neither."

"Kids?" Krory said.

"We're sorry to intrude," Lenalee said. "But if you're a Bookman, do you know where the Black Order have gone? We thought this was their headquarters."

The cat crawled into the old man's lap and he absently ruffled its ears. "They left a long time ago. Now they're gone, wiped out."

"E-excuse me?"

"You heard. They were always fighting their holy war and the fighting got them all killed. A Bookman who was observing their side of the war recorded the whole thing."

Allen felt like he couldn't move, suddenly grown cold. The Black Order completely gone? How could that be?

"Are you saying the Noah won?" Allen said softly.

"Hmm? No, the Noah were decimated in their final battle and the survivors had to retreat and haven't been seen since. No one won."

Allen had to lean against the wall for support. Did that mean all of their friends they'd left behind were dead now? "What about the Millennium Earl? I can't really see him retreating."

"He died," Bookman said bluntly. "In his fight with Nea."

Allen perked up at that. "Nea?" The name sounded familiar.

"A renegade Noah."

"Hmm."

Bookman stood up then, the cat jumping out of his lap. He wasn't very tall and reminded Allen of the old Bookman he'd known over a century ago. "I figured out why your uniforms are familiar," he said. "I saw some of them in this castle, faded with age and covered in dust. I don't know how you managed to survive or how you have come to be here, but I felt you ought to know what happened."

"Thank you," Lenalee said. Her voice was soft.

Bookman grunted in reply. "Come on," he said. "I'll brew some tea and tell you what more I can remember."

* * *

Kuroh found Shiro in the mess hall eating a protein bar. The boy hadn't said much since their journey back to the future. Kuroh sat down at the table and he looked up to meet the worried gaze of his clansman.

"Hi," Shiro said.

"Hi."

After a hesitation, "I'm sorry."

"It wasn't your fault."

"No, I know. Just… I thought I could contain him. Back at the school. I thought I could contain him so Mikoto could kill him but instead, he just used my own powers to keep himself safe. I failed."

Kuroh frowned, casting around in his mind for something that would cheer him up but he came up empty. "We'll find him. He won't be able to hide from us for long. Soon, he won't be able to keep to himself. He'll want to show off. We'll get him then."

"How? Are you going to kill Kanda?"

Kuroh winced. Even if he'd wanted to, the black-haired exorcist was tough. Kanda was in a league all of his own and Kuroh thought he would never match up. "We'll think of something."

Shiro nodded, but remained unconvinced. "I don't remember much from when he was inside me. It's like I was asleep. Occasionally, I could sense his emotions though."

The two fell silent then. Kuroh worried about his king but at the same time, he was so glad to finally have him back.

* * *

Road had finally managed to escape from the family's get together and was now lounging on the rooftop, gazing out over a brightly lit city. Lero was perched next to her, his umbrella body tattered and worn. He was her only comfort now in a family that could only be described as dysfunctional.

When she heard footsteps behind her, she grabbed Lero and spun around, pointing him at the face of the intruder.

"Easy, Road. Long time no see."

"Hmph." Road set Lero back down and the newcomer, a vaguely familiar swordsman wearing an exorcist's uniform, sat down on the ledge beside her. She would have attacked him immediately except for those eyes. Even after all this time, she knew those eyes.

"Finally decided to show up again, huh?" she said. "And in a new body. Too bad it's not as cute as the other one."

"It hasn't been that long, has it?" the Colorless King said. "To me, it feels like hardly any time has passed at all."

"Don't get all chummy. You abandoned us a hundred years ago. You didn't do anything when Cross destroyed those akuma and you let the exorcists use the portal."

"So what are you going to do? Tell the Earl on me?"

Road scowled at him. "I will."

"That's funny. I didn't see him anywhere."

Road's hands balled into fists. "We'll get him back. And when we do, I'm going to tell him to punish you."

"Oh, that sounds delightful." The Colorless King kicked his feet absentmindedly. "Well, I must say, you look exactly as I remember you."

"Part of my power," Road grumbled.

"Really? Well I saw Tyki earlier and he looked the same too. Doesn't he age, at least? Or die? Are Noah truly immortal?"

Road sighed. "No. We're not. When we die, though, we get sort of reincarnated and awaken in a new body. But ever since the Earl died, whatever power controls that was broken. Those who died during the final battle never came back."

"That's too bad," the Colorless King said, not sounding sympathetic at all. He raised one hand to rub absentmindedly at his temple.

"We'll get the Earl back, though. We found this watchamacallit, this giant stone slab that gives people powers. It made us immortal so that we can continue to find a way to bring him back. And now, with the Rosen Gate, we have."

"Oh? You're going to change the past? That sounds exciting. Count me in."

"So you'll just abandon us again?"

The Colorless King held up his hands in protest. "Hey, this sounds way more interesting than hanging around some akuma-infested island and guarding a portal."

Road grunted.

"Road," a voice said from behind and she froze, wondering how long the owner of that voice had been there. She cast a fearful glance at the Colorless King which took him aback.

"Don't you dare say anything," she hissed as she got up.

"I don't like you sneaking out without permission," the newcomer said in a calm voice. "You are to come back home, Road."

"O-of course," Road stammered. She cast another glance at the Colorless King to find that he was gone.

* * *

Bookman told them all he knew about the final war with the Noah, how it had destroyed the Black Order and wiped out the exorcists. Allen, Lenalee, and Krory sat stunned by his tale. It took them a while to process. How could the Black Order be so thoroughly destroyed?

"Thank you for telling us," Allen said, subdued, when he finished. It left a bitter taste in his mouth.

The Bookman shrugged. "It isn't every day you get to meet an exorcist."

Allen nodded absentmindedly.

Then, leaving the Bookman to his own devices, the three explored the old castle but without any enthusiasm. Every room, filled with dust and grime, reminded them that their friends were never coming back and even worse, that the world had moved on without them.

When nearly five hours had passed, they convened at the front gates and went through the portal as it opened. None of them wanted to talk about what they had learned and so tromped solemnly back into Scepter 4 headquarters.

Their despondency was interrupted by a crash somewhere farther within headquarters and by a voice raised in anger.

"What kinda stupid excuse is that, you damn monkey?"

"Yata, calm down."

"No! When I got there, everyone could have been dead for all I knew. And I'm not buying all this crap about time travel and demons or whatever."

"Aw, were you worried, Misaki?"

"Shut up!"

Several people entered the Gate Chamber then, a tall man with tinted glasses, a man in a hoodie and sweatpants, an obnoxiously loud kid with a skateboard under his arm, and, out of place, a young girl in a red dress.

To Allen's surprise, it was the girl who took charge and greeted Munakata with a maturity greater than her age and that of the older boy who was still glaring daggers at Fushimi who seemed amused by the whole thing.

"Thank you for coming," Munakata said and then gestured to the exorcists. "These are Allen, Lenalee, and Krory, the exorcists of the Black Order I told you about." He nodded at the three and addressed them. "This is Kushina Anna, Red King and head of Homra.

They did well hiding their surprise that someone so young was a king – and the king of what looked to be a gang at first glance – as they greeted her.

"While you were away, I contacted Anna to schedule a meeting of the Blue, Red, and Silver clans regarding our current predicament," Munakata explained. "Since this involves you too, you should join us." He turned back to Anna. "Isana is waiting for us in the conference room. Whenever you're ready."

Anna nodded. She had been staring at the Rosen Gate intensely and at Munakata's words, managed to break her gaze away and go with him and her clan out of the room, followed a moment later by the exorcists, who were still reeling from their visit to the Black Order.

* * *

"The safest option is to destroy it," Shiro said from his place at the table. He was flanked on either side by Kuroh and Neko. "There is every possibility the Noah will make another attempt to capture it and we can't risk it falling into their hands."

"I agree," Munakata said. "But I think it is worthwhile to study it further. Up until now, time travel has been a theoretical science. We can learn much from the Rosen Gate, I'm sure."

"It is tempting, I admit," Shiro said. "I assume the Blue Clan will be taking full custody of it, then?"

"We are the only clan currently equipped to handle it."

"If you will be holding it here, I want someone from Homra here as well," Anna said. "Something like this deserves all of our attention. The Red Clan may not have any scientists or the proper equipment to study the Rosen Gate, but we should be here as well."

Munakata nodded. "I don't see why not. I'll let you decide which among you to send. He'll be informed on all procedures here to report back to you."

Anna nodded, satisfied.

"It is a dangerous thing to hold on to the Gate," Shiro said. "I confess, the prospect of studying it has me very interested – after my time studying the Dresden Slates I should say I am qualified to take part – but all the same, the longer it is in your possession, the greater your chances of being attacked a second time."

"It is a risk and I am loathe to allow another attack like that one happen again. But this time we have allies, the only people we are currently aware of who can defeat akuma and who stand a chance against the Noah." Munakata nodded at the three exorcists who were suddenly uncomfortable under the scrutiny of so many unfamiliar gazes.

"In addition," Munakata continued, "One of their own has been taken by the Colorless King." His words had immediate affect from the Red Clansmen. Yata clenched his fists, a look of shock on his face. Kamamoto was looking from Munakata to the exorcists as if he couldn't believe it. Kusanagi had turned a troubled gaze on his king who was now sitting at the table and had suddenly gone stiff.

"So he is alive," she said finally, after a palpable silence. Her voice was small yet it rang clearly throughout the room.

"Yes," Munakata said. "I'm afraid he is."

She gave a small nod. But the tension from Homra did not fade as they reeled from the news that Totsuka's murderer was still alive. Even after all that they had been through and after Mikoto's sacrifice, the Seventh King was still alive.

"For that reason," Munakata said once enough time had gone by, "They will not leave this time period. And after all the help they have given us in the past, it is only fair we help them retrieve their friend."

"How?" Yata said from his place behind Anna. "He tried to kill him." He pointed an accusing finger at Shiro who flinched and looked away. "But it didn't work. Mikoto used up all the rest of his power to kill the Colorless King but it didn't work because Shiro's immortal. As long as the body's still alive, he is. There's no getting around it. If you want to kill the Colorless King, you're going to have to kill your friend." This last was directed right at Allen, the Red clansman's eyes burning. Allen met that gaze as calmly and resolutely as he could.

"We will figure it out as we come to it," Munakata said.

"I'm saying there's nothing to figure out. That's just the way it is."

"Yata." Kusanagi placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him. Yata visibly deflated and then looked away, disgusted.

"He does have a point, though," Shiro said. "The Colorless King used my own powers against me. When Mikoto struck, the blow should have killed me and the Colorless King with it, but because of my immortality, he was able to stay and gain control. I am ashamed to admit it, but my plan failed."

"I don't know as much about this Colorless King as you all do," Allen said, speaking for the first time. "But there has to be some way of killing him without killing Kanda. I've already lost one friend because of him. I'm not going to lose another."

Munakata turned to look straight at Allen, his gaze calm and cool. "Like I said, we'll find a way."

Allen nodded. "Thank you."

"Now we've agreed on what to do about the Rosen Gate and the Colorless King. Next, we need to figure out what to do about the Noah, which is our biggest threat at the moment."

"Their numbers are heavily depleted," Allen said. "When we went to the Black Order, we learned some things. There was a battle during which many of their number died and they've been hiding for these past hundred years. We can only assume they chose to show themselves because of your recovery of the Rosen Gate."

"Do you know who's leading them? Anything about them?" Shiro said.

"I…" Allen hesitated. "I don't know anymore. It _was_ the Millennium Earl but he apparently died during the battle. I don't know if anyone took his place or if the Noah are on their own. Either way, they still have akuma and so must know how to make them."

"Then tell us all you _do_ know," Munakata said.

Allen was a little embarrassed to admit that he didn't know a whole lot about the Noah but was saved from it when the door burst open and a Blue Clansman entered, looking as if he'd run all the way here.

"Captain," he said. "I think we're under attack.

Munakata immediately got to his feet. "Where?"

"By the front gates."

"Alright. Awashima, gather everyone who can still fight and meet us at the front gates. Shiro, Anna, I suggest you get yourselves somewhere safe. Scepter 4 has a bunker. Enomoto will take you there."

Shiro was already shaking his head before Munakata had finished his sentence. "I'm sorry, Captain, but I won't be going to the bunker. I'm already involved in this and I want to see it ended."

"I'm going too," Anna said despite Kusanagi's look of protest.

"I have no authority to give you orders, so you can do what you like," Munakata said. "Fushimi, with me."

They all headed out of the conference room. Munakata felt for the sword at his hip, remembering the devastation that had been caused every time the akuma had been involved and he gritted his teeth. At this rate, they would all die of exhaustion, having done all they could to fend off the attacks but never turn them completely away.

They were soon joined by Awashima and a host of Blue Clansmen, all with their swords strapped to their hips, all grim-faced and ready to fight now that the war had come to their doorstep.

But it was not a host of Noah or swarm of akuma as they had expected and once at the front gates, confusion set in and more than a little anger. They stopped.

Their attacker was a single akuma firing its cannon randomly at the ground. It stopped when Munakata and his entourage arrived and just stood there. A level two, it looked like, with a horrid clownish face and limbs like noodles and the pattern of its makeup made it difficult to tell whether its head was on right or upside down.

Next to it stood a swordsman Allen, Lenalee, and Krory instantly recognized and one that now all of Scepter 4 knew as well with more than a little loathing.

"Now that I've got your attention," the Colorless King said, one hand on his hip and looking bored as if he'd been waiting for them for a while, "I'd like to tell you exactly what the Noah are planning."


	9. Chapter 9

**It occurs to me I should have put a violence warning somewhere so I went back and added one. In case you didn't know...VIOLENCE. Ahem, don't mind the fact that chapters seem to have gotten shorter. It just means that everything is tumbling, rushing, and crashing into everything else on its way to the CLIMAX. So...enjoy and thanks for reviews/favorites.**

* * *

Chapter 9

"I'd like to tell you exactly what the Noah are planning." No sooner did the words come out of his mouth than Munakata threw up a shield around him and the akuma. It sparked and reflected the sunlight.

The Colorless King smirked. "Extra cautious, I see."

"You killed my men," Munakata said, his expression grim.

The Colorless King shrugged and rubbed absentmindedly at his temple. "You could have stopped me. You had plenty of time in the past. Moody over there sure wanted to."

Munakata didn't look at Fushimi, who had gone stiff, instead staring coldly ahead of him. The only sign that those words affected him was a hardening of the mouth.

"Why would you tell us what the Noah are planning?" Allen said, getting right to the point.

"That is an excellent question," was the reply. "It'll be fun. I tell you what they're planning, you go in with an advantage – trust me, you'll need one – and maybe I get a longer fight this way. It'll be sooo entertaining. Oh, and maybe I make use of the chaos to try out some of the Noah's powers. I've been dying to learn how to phase through stuff." He pressed the heel of his hand hard against the side of his head.

"That's enough," Munakata said. "You are to come into our custody and then we'll decide what's to be done with you. You're too dangerous to be left to your own devices."

The Colorless King laughed. "Try it, then! I'd love to see what this custody is like." Without warning, he winced as if from a blow and swayed slightly. "I'd at least like to see you put up a good fight, anyway," he said, regaining his composure. "You won't believe the mess they're in. And you." He pointed an unsteady finger in Allen's direction. "There's someone you really need to see. It's hilarious!" He winced again and pressed the hand to his head even harder.

"Having a little trouble there?" Munakata said.

"Headache, you know?" the Colorless King said with a grimace. "This guy hits his head a little too often. No wonder he's not very smart." He hissed and now clutched his head with both hands. "Shut up, shut up, shut up," he muttered.

"Uh-oh. Hearing voices now, are we?"

"Shut up! It's nothing."

"I wouldn't say so," Allen said, catching on. "I'd say you've pissed off the one person you never want to piss off." He raised his voice. "Hey, Kanda, what's taking you so long, weakling?"

"Shut up, Beansprout!" the Colorless King gasped.

"It's working," Lenalee said from beside Allen.

"Kanda's tough. He wouldn't let some loser like you use his body," Allen said, gaining confidence.

"Urgh." The Colorless King took a step back. "This happens from time to time. Shut up! It always passes. Shut up _shut up_!"

As if a switch had been flicked, the Colorless King straightened and took his hands away from his head and Allen's hope began to fade. Slowly, unsteadily, he drew Mugen from its sheathe. His dark gaze locked on Allen, a gaze hard and cold enough that it should have incinerated him.

"When this is all over with, I'm going to kill you," he said and then plunged the sword into his own stomach.

"Kanda!" Lenalee cried out before she could stop herself.

"No!" The shout tore from Kanda's throat. "Why would you do that? Stupid, stupid, stupid. Shut up! I'm taking control now. You idiot, now all that will happen is that you die!" Kanda was on his knees, blood soaking his already torn uniform, hands locked around the hilt of his sword.

Something emerged from his eye, something white and silver that flitted so fast it was hard to see. It crashed into the shield and then bounced off and briefly reminded Allen of a fly trying futilely to escape through a window that was closed. Finally, in desperation or perhaps in fear, the little flitting shape darted straight for the akuma's face and vanished.

The akuma suddenly became animated where before it had stood as docile as a cow. Now it swung its weaponized arms about. "Stupid, stupid, stupid," it muttered. "This is no kind of body for someone like me! It's hideous!" It began firing its cannons at the shield which crackled and held but everyone knew from experience that it wouldn't hold forever.

"And what kind of soul is this, anyway? This thing isn't even alive." The akuma stopped firing and quivered. "Shut up! Stop screaming in my head! I need to get out, out, out, why can't I, I'm stuck. Help!"

As it babbled incoherently, Kanda slowly got to his feet, swaying from blood loss. "You've never tried to possess something that wasn't alive," he said. "I guess I've just found your weakness."

"No, no, nooo. Get me out of this thing! Help! Please help! I don't want to be stuck in here anymore!"

"I can help with that." Kanda drew the blade from his stomach, wincing all the while, and drew two fingers along the blood-slicked sword. "Mugen, activate."

"No! Please don't! I'd rather stay in here, it's actually really nice, _nooo!_ "

He made quick work of the akuma. Even Allen felt slightly ill watching the gruesome pleasure of the kill. And when it was over, there was nothing left but a lone swordsman who, satisfied with his work, deactivated his anti-akuma weapon and slid it easily into its rightful place at his back before slumping to the ground.

* * *

It took everyone a moment to process what had happened and then Allen was running to Kanda's side and calling his name. There was blood on the ground but when Allen reached out a hand, it was slapped away.

"Don't touch me," Kanda growled and even in this weakened state, one hand over his stomach to staunch the flow of blood that seeped through his uniform, he was intimidating.

"We need to get you to a doctor," Allen pointed out.

"Tch. I'll be fine."

By this time, the others were approaching and Lenalee was kneeling by his side, a worried look on her face. A Blue Clansman, presumably with medical training, made the mistake of trying to examine the wound and almost had his wrist snapped. After that, most kept their distance.

Allen expected Kanda to lose consciousness but he never did, instead propping himself up on his sword and glaring at them all.

"The Noah are planning on changing the timeline to bring back the Earl," Kanda said. He leveled his hard gaze on Allen. "They intend to commit mutiny to do it."

"Mutiny?"

"The Millennium Earl is dead. Who do you think is leading them?"

Allen was silent, at a loss. He'd assumed one of the Noah were leading them, though the idea of the Millennium Earl being dead was still a hard one to swallow.

"Hey, how do you remember anything during the Colorless King's possession?" Shiro wanted to know.

Kanda hauled himself to his feet and Allen noted that he was no longer bleeding. "Your mind is weak," he said in answer and then he was looking somewhere beyond them, Mugen gripped in one hand and Allen turned to see what he was looking at and stopped short.

A single figure was coming toward them, clad in a gray overcoat with a white mane of hair hanging unruly in front of his eyes. His right arm was black, the hand sporting long, thin talons. Allen's heart stopped.

The figure came at them unchallenged and stopped by the gate and his calm, dark gaze rested on Allen.

"Hello Allen," the figure said.

There were gasps all around him but Allen only had eyes for the young man before him for it was himself.

Coming up behind him were the Noah, only two of them, and Allen felt the ground fall out from under him. He heard Munakata's voice somewhere in the distance, giving an order to his men, but could not make out the words. Lenalee grabbed his arm instinctively but he barely felt her touch.

He had no room in his mind to see or feel or hear anything but that which stood in front of him and wore his face and at first he thought it was a trick, perhaps Lulu Bell trying to confuse them, but in his heart he knew that what he was looking at was real.

"You seem surprised to see me," the figure suddenly said in Allen's voice as his gaze swept the crowd. His expression revealed nothing, devoid of emotion. "But now that I remember, I wasn't given too much warning myself."

"H-how?" was all that Allen could say.

"I don't know whether to be sorry or relieved that the Colorless King is dead," the other Allen said and he graced Kanda with a short glance. "He was a real pest. Road seemed to like him around, though I can't imagine why. Such a presence can only cause discord within our ranks." His dark gaze settled back on Allen. "I prefer order."

"Why are you…" Allen swallowed. "Why would I ever choose to join the Noah?"

"Not you," the other was quick to correct him. "But the thing that lives inside of you. And I did not simply join the Noah. I am their leader now. I killed the Millennium Earl and I have taken his place."

"You…" A name rose to the surface of his mind, remembered from the trip to the Black Order and the lonely Bookman who now lived there. "You're Nea?"

"So you are beginning to awaken," the other Allen – Nea – said.

"Awaken?" A jolt of fear went through him. It had been months ago from now and yet he had vague recollection of a dream. A voice that spoke to him and made him cold down to his very bones. "No. No, I'm not going to become whatever it is you are now. I'm never joining the Noah."

"Yes, I remember saying those exact words too." He looked up and beyond to the ranks of Scepter 4 who were ready at a moment's notice to draw their swords. Munakata stood before them, his gaze locked on Nea, hand on the hilt of his sword. Nea raised his voice. "You may stand down, Scepter 4. I have not come to fight. I know where you are keeping the Rosen Gate and have come to tell you that I have no interest in it, whatever my unruly children may have done. You may destroy it if you fear it so. In fact, I urge you to. The sooner that's done, the sooner it's forgotten and all is well."

Everyone stared at Nea for a long moment after he went silent, unable to believe that the leader of the Noah would be so gracious to his enemies. Yet his decision didn't seem to be in the favor of the Noah, both of whom were scowling behind his back.

"I am not the Millennium Earl. I have no interest in the affairs of the clans. All I ask is to be left alone and you need not fear anything from me."

"You'll need to keep your dogs on a tighter leash," Kanda growled. "They're not too happy with the way things stand now. You'd better watch your back." He looked himself ready to charge Nea if not for his wounds.

For the first time, the ghost of a smile flitted across Nea's features. "I assure you, _I_ at least have nothing to fear." His attention turned back to Allen. "You have an interesting life ahead of you, Allen Walker. Just stay out of my way. I'd hate to have to hurt you when you still have your awakening to look forward to." Then he turned around and he left. The Noah followed him like a pair of loyal servants. Allen wished he could believe the trouble between them and the Noah was over but with the tension he sensed from the Noah and after hearing Kanda's troubling words after breaking free from the Colorless King, he knew that there was something yet brewing.

When Nea was gone from sight, it was like his strings had snapped. Allen slumped to the ground.

"Allen!" Lenalee called out, worried, and knelt by his side. What she saw in his eyes made her stop short.

"So that's what I become?" Allen whispered. "In the future?"

"He didn't seem too bad," Krory's voice said from somewhere above him, reassuringly.

"He leads the Noah," Allen said, almost spat. "And I…I had a dream a while ago. Before we left for Japan. Meeting Nea just reminded me of it."

"Whatever he is, you're not going to turn into that," Lenalee said. The force of her voice caught him off guard. "Now that you know what will happen, you can make sure you stay the way you are now."

Allen knew it was a lie, or at least ignorance. After all, they couldn't stop the attack on headquarters. They couldn't prevent Lavi's death. As far as he knew, the future that was written out for him was etched into his very soul, a path he had no choice but to walk down.

* * *

As much as Munakata hated the idea, he had to take Nea at his word. As such, the Rosen Gate was scheduled to be destroyed at the end of the week.

With Kanda returned to them and healing abnormally quickly, it was time for the exorcists to go home.

"Destroy it," were Kanda's parting words as the Rosen Gate was powered up. "Whatever that Nea says, the Noah will use it to bring back the Earl." There seemed to be a lot left unsaid, a lingering anger within the exorcist, but it seemed the best way to foil the Noah's plans was to destroy the Gate and he sure as hell wasn't going to be on this side of it when that happened.

After a hesitation, Krory followed him through, leaving only Allen and Lenalee in the Gate Chamber with a handful of Blue Clansmen.

"I'm going to stay here for a while," Allen said. "I'm not quite ready to go back yet and I…I have some things to think about."

Lenalee's eyes shone with worry but she didn't press him. It must have been hard. She'd seen the looks some of the Blue Clansmen had sent his way, looks of distrust and unease and she knew he'd seen them too. She and Krory had tried to distract him from them but Kanda hadn't helped at all and if things between them had been rocky before, they were positively volatile now.

"Alright," Lenalee said finally. "But don't take too long. You know how my brother worries. And don't do anything stupid like let Munakata destroy the Gate before you go through."

Allen smiled. "I'll try not to."

Lenalee bit her lip and glanced between him and the Rosen Gate, her ticket home.

"Don't worry about me," Allen said. "Go home."

Eventually, she nodded. "I'll see you, then."

"Yeah."

With that, she went through the portal. Allen stared at it for a moment before turning away and the Gate powered down. The truth was, he wasn't ready to face Komui or Bookman or any of the Black Order for the moment. He was afraid he'd see distrust in the faces of his friends, or fear, and while he could bear it from Scepter 4, virtual strangers to him, the thought of his friends fearing him made his gut clench. It didn't matter that he hadn't yet become a Noah, that they couldn't know – at least until Kanda said something. It still hurt.

It might have been selfish of him, but he wanted to delay that uncomfortable encounter as long as he could. And besides that, there was still the matter of this time's Noah. Something about Nea's words had struck a chord and he'd heard truthfulness in them, but that didn't stop him from worrying and trying to find the lies. And even if Nea truly had no interest in conflict, the Noah seemed more than eager to spill blood. The exorcists had tried to urge Munakata not to destroy the Gate until they could properly feel out the situation, but the Blue King had been firm on that point. The Noah's plan revolved around their acquiring the Rosen Gate. Destroying it would derail them and their plans to bring back the Earl.

Allen understood the logic in it, but he still felt uneasy.

After the Gate went silent, life resumed a relative normalcy, at least what Allen assumed was normal for the Blue Clan. The scientists headed by Fujioka were furiously experimenting, the Gate's destruction date hanging over their heads like the famed Sword of Damocles the kings' swords were named after. As for the rest of Scepter 4, they went about their normal duties which mostly consisted of paperwork, policing the streets, and tracking something known as strains.

Allen was returning to his temporary dorm after lunch when he heard Munakata's voice from a room beyond and he recalled that the Blue King had chosen to lead a patrol in pursuit of a strain despite his lieutenant's objections. Allen stopped, wondering if he should turn around, when he caught the sound of Awashima's voice.

"Still, I would advise against going after a strain yourself. I thought everything would be fine since it's been months since you used so much power against the akuma, but your sword hasn't recovered. When you subdued that strain today, it looked almost like…"

"Like Mikoto's in the beginning?" Munakata said, abrupt. "It's just a little dull from use."

"Captain." Awashima's voice was tinged with concern. She sighed. "You know it hasn't been the same since that day."

A pause. "I know."

Allen pulled away before he could hear anything more. It really wasn't his business, even if he had no idea what they were talking about. He turned and retreated swiftly to his room.

* * *

It was late at night but Munakata couldn't sleep. He headed for the Gate Chamber where he found Fujioka. The man rarely left his project and his eyes were tired and dark from lack of sleep. Even now, it didn't seem like he was all there. He didn't notice Munakata's presence until the Blue King was right next to him and then he gave a tired greeting.

"Get some sleep," Munakata said.

"It's going to be destroyed tomorrow. I'd like to get some more readings on it before then."

"You're not going to be able to make any sense of them when you're dead on your feet. Get some rest and you can finish up in the morning."

Fujioka looked like he wanted to argue then decided against it. "Alright, alright," he said dismissively and turned his back on the Gate. "Just don't destroy it before I get the chance for a last look."

"I won't," Munakata assured him.

Fujioka yawned and left and Munakata stood alone, staring at the Gate which had caused them so much trouble. He ran a hand along its cool, smooth stone. He had to admit, it really was a shame to destroy it.

The desk with the remote sat in front of the Gate, cluttered with notes and diagrams and Munakata cleared some of them away to get at the makeshift controls. It was a shame indeed.

He didn't know why he activated the portal then, perhaps just to watch that mesmerizing blue knot of energy in its center, to have one last look at all the possibilities which would be out of his reach by this time tomorrow.

* * *

Fushimi was tired of paperwork and irritated that he hadn't been able to push it off onto one of his subordinates this time. Instead, he had kept putting it off until the pile on his desk grew big enough to make him give in and he had worked through it all evening. He still wasn't done but decided he was going to stop for the night.

He was walking down the quiet corridor when he spotted the blue coat on the floor and he was immediately on high alert, slipping one knife into his hand as he rushed to the fallen clansman and noticed the blood on the floor. When he turned the man over, he saw that it was Fujioka and he didn't need to be a doctor to know that he was dead.

The body was still warm. Fushimi scrambled to his feet, slipping another two knives from his sleeve, his other hand going for his sword.

* * *

Munakata sighed and reached over the desk to deactivate the Rosen Gate but hesitated when he heard footsteps behind him and he wondered if Fujioka had forgotten something or had decided not to follow his orders after all. Either way, he didn't turn around immediately, watching the unsteady sparks of the Gate's energy and the glow of the alien symbols around its rim.


	10. Chapter 10

**Thanks again for all the reviews/follows/faves, etc. If anyone is interested, I've posted a new K/D. Gray-Man one-shot, Stumbling Through Time, about what happens when you give Komui the controls to the Rosen Gate. Also contains Yata and another K character who I have sorely missed. Mostly nonsense.**

* * *

Chapter 10

Something didn't seem right, there was an odd feeling in the air, and Munakata turned around.

"Benzai?" There were flecks of blood staining his uniform. Munakata tensed. "What is this?"

"The Fourteenth was generous to let you go," Benzai said. "The Millennium Earl would not have been."

"You're her, aren't you? The shape shifter."

"You're mistaken. Lulu Bell died by the Fourteenth's hand. You may call me Toraido." The name meant nothing to Munakata but he knew he was in trouble when he saw Benzai's skin turn gray and the familiar line of stigmata appeared beneath his now dark hair.

"It's ironic, I suppose," Toraido said. "I am the judge of the Noah. It is my job to make sure there is no betrayal within the family. Yet here I am, initiating a betrayal against the Fourteenth and against you."

Munakata's gaze hardened. "You must feel awful."

"The Fourteenth is not our leader and never will be."

"So what happened to Benzai? Was there ever such a person?"

"I'm afraid I had you fooled, Captain. I joined Scepter 4 under the name Benzai because the Usagi would not have me and I wanted to learn more about the Dresden Slates. We'd used their power in the past to ensure we would live long enough to find the Rosen Gate which had been lost to us. I hadn't anticipated you finding the Rosen Gate for us."

Behind Munakata, the Gate was still activated but his attention remained riveted on the man in front of him. "Whose blood is that?"

"Oh." Toraido looked down as if he hadn't realized the blood was there. "You'll have to appoint a new lead scientist. Or at least Awashima will have to." Munakata's hand was at his sword. "When she finds her clansman and her king dead at the hands of a Noah, she will have no choice but to declare war against us and the Fourteenth. A good enough distraction, I should think." He drew his sword but it wasn't the saber issued to every member of Scepter 4 but a long, broad blade that seemed an impossible fit for the sheathe.

But just as he brought out the sword, there was a clang as something struck it and Toraido hissed as a second knife buried itself in his shoulder.

Fushimi stood in the doorway, clasping his throwing knives and glaring darkly at Toraido.

Toraido didn't bother to remove the knife. "I suppose she'll need a new irritable techie as well."

"Tch," Fushimi said and loosed another knife and Toraido swung his sword in the air and the blade came crashing down on Munakata's own.

Munakata gasped. The Noah was strong. His sword knocked Munakata's aside and his foot caught him in the stomach, sent him crashing to the ground. His arm aching from the clash, Munakata still gripped his sword tightly and sprang back to his feet, no stranger to combat. His blood began to boil, his heart pumping, and he forced himself to push aside the man he'd thought he knew, the quiet and dedicated Benzai. Beneath that calm exterior had been the calculating mind of a Noah.

At close quarters, Fushimi had drawn his sword and was meeting Toraido in combat but the young man, still a kid as far as Munakata was concerned, was not nearly as experienced when it came to combat, often staying behind a desk where his tech savvy could be put to good use.

Munakata rushed forward and struck at Toraido's back but the Noah wheeled around and blocked the blow. At the same time, he took a step backward, Fushimi's blade catching against the hilt. The Noah yanked it free. He seemed to have no trouble wielding such a seemingly cumbersome weapon. Munakata doubted he would be able to lift it himself.

The three engaged again and though it was two against one, Toraido had no problem keeping them at bay, slowly whittling down their defenses, breaking through their Scepter 4 discipline. Munakata and Fushimi were quickly tiring.

"We can't keep this up for long," Fushimi said. Several thin lines marked his arms, red with blood.

Munakata was grimly aware that he was right. But Toraido was pressing them back and away from the door and he saw no opening through which they might escape and raise an alarm. It was late at night. Those who weren't asleep would be nowhere near the Gate Chamber.

"If you see an opening, take it," Munakata said.

"Eh?" The words took a second to sink in. "If I leave you alone with him, you'll die," Fushimi said bluntly.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Munakata blocked another bone-jarring attack, though just barely.

"If either of us is going to survive this, it needs to be you."

"Why Fushimi, you sound almost heroic."

Fushimi was too busy avoiding the next blow to roll his eyes and yet Munakata could hear the action clearly in his words. "Geez. Don't insult me."

Munakata's next sword thrust bit deep into Toraido's ribs. The Noah gasped in pain and then struck Munakata full in the face, sending him reeling backward and losing his grip on the sword. His glasses clattered on the floor. Toraido backhanded him even further away and his neck ached as the blow forced his head to the side. He raised his hand for a third blow when Fushimi's knife found the sensitive flesh of Toraido's armpit and he jerked away from the sting, his other hand going to the blade to rip it out. He turned his attention on Fushimi and now he seemed angry. Perhaps because the battle was taking him longer than he thought it would.

Toraido's hand went to the sword still imbedded in his flesh and he wrenched it out, drawing a line of dark blood with it, and cast it aside. Munakata saw with dismay that such a wound which would have incapacitated a normal human, hardly seemed to slow him down. This was not a fight they could win.

Munakata dived for his sword and quickly resumed a defensive stance. Again he cast his gaze at the door but they'd moved farther away from it during the fight and Toraido would easily cut them down if they tried to run past him. Fushimi seemed to have the same thought and also that there was currently more than one exit.

Fushimi stepped to the side so that Toraido's next blow would slide down the length of his blade and so that Fushimi wouldn't bear the brunt of his strength. He saw Munakata coming again, face bloodied, the blue of the Gate outlining him in a wavering aura.

He sighed. It wasn't exactly the way he'd have chosen to go out. It was too tacky and selfless and disgustingly heroic. He really hoped Munakata wouldn't go around telling everyone.

Stepping back away from the next blow, he half-turned, grabbed Munakata by the front of his shirt, and shoved him as hard as he could toward the portal. The Blue King's eyes revealed shock for perhaps the very first time in his life and then he vanished.

Fushimi turned back and stabbed another knife into Toraido's hand.

* * *

Everything was gray. Rubble spilled into the streets. Smoke wafted through the air. Munakata had to blink several times to get his eyes to focus and to orient himself. It was silent, but not in a good way. More like the silence of the dead. He instantly pulled himself to his feet, still gripping his sword in a shaking hand and cursing Fushimi. If the portal was still open, he should be able to find it and go back through. Problem was, without his glasses, he couldn't distinguish the subtle shimmering in the air that signified the way home.

He heard something in the distance. A scream. And then a great moaning sound and more terror and the smoke cleared just enough for him to see what it was.

Munakata had never seen anything like it before and the sight of it made him sick. It looked like a human torso, headless and limbless, hovering in the distance, crowned with a halo and there was a hole right where its heart should be, exposing a mass of red muscle. Munakata coughed as the acrid smoke hit his lungs. The great thing moaned again and began to spin. The screams grew even more shrill and eventually died out.

He recognized this place as the little town where he and the other Blue Clansmen had ended up after being consumed by the Rosen Gate. But now the place was in ruin.

As he watched, the monstrosity gradually became silent and like a cut tree in the woods, began to topple. A great cloud of dust rose as it fell and Munakata could feel the ground shiver beneath him.

The silence returned.

Munakata coughed again and took a hesitant step forward, squinting through the smoke. Several minutes passed and then there was another moaning sound from an even greater distance, toward the mountains. He couldn't see the thing from this distance, but his heart clenched at the sound of it.

What had happened here?

There were footsteps somewhere nearby and suddenly he could make out figures through the smoke. It took him a moment but he recognized their uniforms. And then when they were close enough to make out their faces, albeit blurry, he saw that three of them were Kanda, Lenalee, and Krory. Kanda was supporting Lenalee who looked barely conscious, a long cut dripping blood down the side of her face. Krory was carrying another exorcist and Munakata had to fight to remember her name. Miranda. She was already unconscious, one arm shorter than the other and wrapped in thick bandages soaked through with blood. Accompanying the exorcists were two men in white uniforms and several civilians, two women, one of them holding a child tightly by the hand.

"Kanda? Lenalee? Krory?" Munakata called out and it took them a moment to realize that he was there. Krory had a dazed expression. His uniform was torn and bloodied. Kanda's gaze was riveted ahead and there was a thin cut along his jaw and another across the bridge of his nose.

"Captain?" Lenalee said groggily, raising her head from where it rested against Kanda's shoulder. "What are you doing here?"

"Nevermind. If he's here, the portal's nearby," Krory said and then looked anxiously, wearily, at Munakata. "Right?"

Munakata hesitated. It wouldn't be right to take them like this through the portal just to meet a Noah on the other side. He nodded anyway.

"We need to get these people to safety. Where is it?"

"It's somewhere here but I can't see it. There's a Noah on the other side," Munakata said.

Krory stopped in his tracks, exchanged a look with one of the men in white, whose expression was hidden beneath the wrappings that covered half of his face.

Kanda had already spotted the portal though. Handing Lenalee over to one of the women, he stumbled forward and without saying a word, hand going to Mugen at his back, he stepped through.

Munakata was speechless. He could still hear the cries in the distance. "What happened here?"

"The Fourteenth," Lenalee said simply. "All our friends are gone. All that's left are the Fallen, but they're dying too."

It was possibly cold of him that he was only half-paying attention to what she said, thoughts still on Toraido and Fushimi. He figured eventually it would sink in. "I'm going after Kanda," Munakata said and he headed for the area where the exorcist had disappeared. He eventually found the shimmer when it was inches away from him and he passed through.

The Gate Chamber was quieter than he thought it would be. He'd expected Kanda to be ferociously tackling the Noah, but instead he was standing with his back to the portal, sword pointing at the ground. Munakata sucked in a breath when he looked past him and saw the figure on the floor. Fushimi's own sword protruded from his ribs and one of his knives skewered his left hand.

Munakata knelt in front of his clansman and touched a finger to his neck. A pulse fluttered just beneath the skin.

"We need a doctor immediately," Munakata said, already removing his coat and using one of the discarded knives to tear a strip out of it. He could bandage Fushimi's hand but he didn't dare remove the sword just yet. He looked up from his work to find Kanda still standing there. "You might not be a member of my clan, but I'm still giving you an order," he said.

For an instant, their gazes locked and Munakata didn't back down. He was startled by what he saw there and wondered just how long it had been since Kanda had returned to his own time. His eyes were dark and distant and there was a weariness Munakata had never seen in them before. When the Blue King didn't look away, Kanda turned wordlessly and left the room and Munakata only hoped he was doing what he'd told him.

The knife came free after a brief struggle and then Munakata wrapped the makeshift bandage around Fushimi's hand as tight as he could. Anger boiled just beneath the surface. Toraido had left him for dead and was now free somewhere in the building. Others were in danger.

"You idiot," Munakata said. "Of all the times to play the hero. Very out of character of you, Fushimi-kun."

He didn't notice the people behind him right away. They didn't speak and it was only the feeling of being watched, of not being alone in the room, that caused him to turn and see that Lenalee and Krory and the others had come through the portal and were standing in the Gate Chamber, at a loss.

There wasn't much more he could do for Fushimi at the moment, so he reached over and shut down the portal. It powered down with a grateful sigh.

"Krory, can you still fight?" Munakata said. The idea seemed to fill the exorcist with dread but after a hesitation, he nodded. "We'll need your help then. Whatever the Noah's intentions, they've just waged war on Scepter 4."

"I can fight too," Lenalee said and pushed away from the blond-haired woman who'd been helping her along. She swayed on her feet.

"No," Munakata said, voice firm. "I'm not sending you to your death."

Lenalee's eyes narrowed in the prelude to an argument even as the doctor arrived and immediately went to Fushimi's side. An assistant brought a foldable stretcher and Munakata stood aside so they could go about their work.

"I want you and these civilians to go with them to the infirmary," Munakata said. "That's an order," he added upon seeing Lenalee's expression. But in the end, she relented. Krory handed Miranda to one of the finders as the doctor got Fushimi onto the stretcher and they all trekked out of the room.

"I need to get Awashima," Munakata said and he started running. Startled, Krory went after him.

* * *

Allen was startled by the klaxons that rang out in the hall just outside his door. He jumped up and put on his jacket and peered out. He caught a brief glimpse of red-tinted corridor before a fist grabbed the front of his shirt and he was shoved against the wall and he found himself staring into Kanda's dark, hate-filled eyes. It took a second for his mind to register that it was even Kanda at all. He wasn't supposed to be here.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't just kill you," Kanda said and though Allen had heard his threats many times, something about his voice and the look in his eyes, told him that Kanda was serious.

"Kanda? What are you doing?" Allen tried to remain calm. But Kanda always had a way of making him angry. "I thought you'd gone back home."

"There is no home anymore," Kanda growled. "Because of you."

Allen's heart skipped a beat.

"The Fourteenth sought war with the Earl and destroyed everything else in the process. I should kill you now so that doesn't happen."

"And let the Earl live?" Allen's voice was small.

Kanda's grip on his shirt tightened. "I'd rather have the Earl."

His words were a blow and Allen forced himself to meet those eyes. "Something is happening even now, isn't it? Scepter 4 is going to need all the help they can get."

"They can handle this without a traitor in their midst."

Allen didn't say anything immediately. And then he said, "I can feel him, you know. Nea. I didn't realize who he was at first, but now that I do, his presence is stronger. I try not to let it get to me, but it's hard. I'm scared, Kanda. I don't want to destroy everything. But let me help. Whatever's going on now, let me help." He took a shaky breath. "If we survive this, you can kill me after."

Even Kanda was shocked by that statement, but he let go his grip. The point of his blade was brought less than an inch away from Allen's face but Allen's gaze never left his.

"I promised you back there that I would kill you myself," he said, deadly, and then he turned and ran down the hallway.

Allen sighed. He could feel his hands shaking. He could feel the Fourteenth's dark presence inside him. He thought about Kanda's vow. He desperately hoped it wouldn't come to that.

* * *

The front gates were illuminated with floodlights. Awashima stood with her men in a battle line. The tension was palpable in the air, a thing solid enough to touch. She took a step forward, revealing herself as the head of the formation.

"We had a truce," she called out toward the gates. She thought she caught movement just beyond the lights, the shadow of a figure. Watching.

"And yet you had one of my Noah held in your facility." The voice was calm, emotionless, yet it rang clearly in the courtyard.

"We did not hold him against his will," Awashima said. "We didn't even know he was here. But his actions have spoiled any truce between us."

"I see."

Munakata emerged from the building a moment later with Krory, taking in the scene at a glance.

"They don't trust your word," said another voice, one that Awashima recognized as Benzai's and then she saw him only it was not him. She set her mouth in a firm line. "They see you as a threat, whatever your intentions, and will destroy you."

"That's a reasonable precaution," Nea said and then she could see him as he stepped into the light. Toraido was at his side. Behind him were three other Noah. She recognized Tyki and figured the young girl to be Road, but she didn't know who the third was. "But unnecessary. _I_ desire no conflict."

"As a commander, the actions of your soldiers are your responsibility," Munakata said.

"Indeed." He took a step forward so that Toraido was behind him. That broad sword was still in his hands. "I assure you that if any of them are in the wrong, they will be dealt with as I see fit."

"There is no dealing with them," Allen said and Awashima cast a glance toward him. She hadn't realized he was there. Next to him stood Kanda and even though she knew he was an ally, she still tensed at the sight of him. "You do not have the Noah's loyalty," he went on. "You can fool yourself all you want, but they will always be loyal only to the Millennium Earl."

"That is unfortunate. If what you say is true, I would have no choice but to destroy them. I'd so hoped it wouldn't come to that. I hoped we could be a family. These four are the only surviving Noah and only because they cast themselves onto my mercy when I killed the Earl."

"Only so they could take the Rosen Gate and bring him back."

"You make a good argument."

The two locked gazes and it took all of Allen's will not to look away. Something sparked in those dark eyes and then it happened to fast that Awashima wasn't sure anything had happened until it was over with.

Nea stepped to the side just as a flash of light passed by him and then he reached out and snatched something and then was still again. Toraido gasped. The Fourteenth had his wrist in an iron grip and the sword fell from his suddenly lifeless fingers. He squirmed and winced but the hold only became tighter.

"It is very unfortunate," Nea said. Behind him, the other three Noah were watching in stunned silence. "All I asked is for us to be a family. Is that too much? Should I have killed you when I killed _him_?" There was a crunch and Toraido let out a short cry. "I have given you a home. I have taken care of you for all of these years and yet you still tried to betray me." He wrenched Toraido's arm back at a sickening angle.

Nea's gaze again met Allen's. "I remember standing at that exact spot as I witnessed this," he said, musing.

"Y-you already knew?"

"The Noah must think me a fool. Well if that's the way it's going to be, I don't need them anymore." He let go of Toraido's wrist and his hand flashed out, lightning quick, going for Toraido's neck.

Awashima had to look away. She'd seen things in her time, but she flinched at the tearing sound and at Road's shrill cry. When she turned back, Toraido was a limp shape on the ground.

Nea stood as calmly as if he hadn't just killed someone. Then he turned to look at the other three Noah who only stared, still as stone.

"The line of Noah will end with me," Nea said and she realized that he was truly angry. "I will not tolerate betrayal and because I am stronger than the Earl, I will overcome it."

He held out one hand and a blast of dark matter shot out. The Noah scrambled to the sides just in time and the bolt smashed into a building across the street. The ground rumbled. He aimed again and fired, the bolt becoming a continuous stream that he whipped over the ground, catching Tyki and sending him flying backward. There was a long, black furrow in the lawn.

"We can't let him continue this," Munakata said. "That much power, he'll easily take out the whole block."

Awashima nodded grimly.

"Allen, Kanda, Krory, do what you can. Men, ready your swords."

* * *

Blue shields rose up around Nea. He stopped firing only long enough to press his hand against the energy and shatter it. Then blasts of blue energy were shooting through the air to burn his skin. Nea raised his hand and a void opened in the air and swallowed them whole.

"You would side with the Noah against me?" Nea said.

"We're not on their side," Munakata answered. "We're on our own."

"Pity. The Blue Clan was interesting to watch. But I suppose there might be a power struggle in the future." He raised his hand to fire at Munakata.

A swarm of Tease erupted suddenly into the air, wings beating furiously as they attempted to bite and slice Nea's body but whenever one touched his skin, it fell to the ground, dead. He turned, seemingly oblivious to the attack, to find Tyki and Road standing on the lawn. Tyki was summoning more Tease and Road had Lero clenched firmly in one fist. Surrounding her were large striped candles, their pointed ends aimed at Nea. Her eyes betrayed her fear.

Wordlessly, Nea fired and a hundred Tease turned to ash in Tyki's stead and then Road was hurling candles through the air. She had learned long ago that the Fourteenth was beyond the influence of her dreams. His mind was a mystery to her and for someone who could slip into another's dreams with the ease of slipping into water, not being able to see his was unnerving. So she did what she could and tried not to think about how her candles seemed to have no affect, how he melted them with a touch, using his right hand always. His left, black and disfigured, hung unused at his side.

* * *

Pain exploded in Allen's head, so great that he fell to his knees, hands to his head. Through blurred vision, he saw the third Noah, who had extra eyes, standing at a distance, on the edge of the shadows on the lawn. It was all he could do to raise his anti-akuma weapon and fire a bolt of energy at the Noah. Immediately, the pain lessened as Wisely was forced to dodge, breaking his concentration. He landed nearby and scurried back into the shadows. Allen took this opportunity to rush after him, ready to line up another shot. He didn't need this. What he needed was to go after Nea. Scepter 4 was currently erecting shields to protect the innocent from the Fourteenth's rage. The blue glowing Sword of Damocles hung precariously overhead and he noticed that it sparked alarmingly.

"Shouldn't you be helping Tyki and Road?" Allen said as he blasted again into the darkness.

"I am," Wisely said and another question formed on Allen's lips, but went unsaid as the Noah continued, "If I kill you, the Fourteenth dies before he can fully awaken and kill the Earl."

Allen wondered why Nea hadn't simply killed all of the Noah when he'd killed the Earl. After all, he would have known of their inevitable betrayal through him.

"He thought he could change things." It took a moment before he realized that Wisely was responding to his thoughts. Allen scowled.

"You don't have to be like that," Wisely said, but continued to dodge Allen's attacks with a consistency that was really irritating.

Allen splayed his fingers and fired widely, briefly chasing away the shadows at the edge of the courtyard. He caught a brief glimpse of three figures amidst a roiling mass of Tease and the ground shook and then he could feel those prying fingers in his head again and he winced.

Wisely's face was smug, taunting, but a moment later, it fell into an expression of confusion.

"Bite me?" Wisely muttered. "Why would he –?" He spun and jumped to the side just as Krory pounced, fangs bared, eyes narrowed, mouth drawn into a snarl.

The two exorcists didn't give Wisely time to recover, attacking simultaneously from different directions. He might have been able to read their minds, predict their every move, but he could only react so quickly. They would wear him down and attack faster than he could dodge.

The edge of Wisely's scarf began to slip, revealing another pair of eyes besides the three Allen had seen initially and then the pain in his head doubled, tripled, there was a ringing in his ears and he cried out even as something warm slithered down the side of his head, a thin trickle of blood, and just when he thought his brain would burst, Wisely suddenly let out a startled cry and recoiled and it took a moment for Allen to recognize the face of the stoic swordsman of the Silver Clan.

Kuroh's blade dripped blood from when it had opened a gash in Wisely's arm and another sword had gone through the Noah's chest. Kanda twisted his blade, the words of the death blow on his lips when Wisely gave an unearthly cry and wrenched the sword out of him. He staggered, bleeding, but already beginning to heal. Allen realized that while he'd been concentrating his mental attack on him, he hadn't been receptive to the thoughts of his newest attackers.

He recovered quickly however, though some of his confidence was lost.

From across the courtyard came a desperate scream.

"The other Noah will not last much longer against the Fourteenth," Wisely said. "And then nothing will stop him. He'll tear this place down without a thought. Only an exorcist stands a chance against him." There was a hint of urgency in his voice.

Krory's gaze flickered to the other side of the courtyard and then back to Allen. Something warred within him. "You should go," he said finally. "We can handle him."

Allen wanted to protest but he could see that Krory and Wisely were right. Nea was their biggest threat.

"Yes. _Handle_ me," Wisely said and forced a dark grin on his face, leveling his five-eyed gaze on Krory. Steeling himself, Allen fled one battle and straight into another.

* * *

The shields were collapsing as quickly as they were being thrown up. Black lumps of melted candle wax lay in the grass, covered in the ashes of countless Tease.

Road let out a shriek as a blast caught her and slammed her into the ground and though the hole in her side was healing rapidly, it still burned like fire.

"Road!" Tyki called out and ran for her as Nea leveled the killing shot.

"Tyki, don't!" but her warning fell on deaf ears as Tyki lunged and a wave of Tease masked his attack and he shot Nea with a blast of energy which caught him in the shoulder. For a moment, Tyki allowed himself to remember the boy he'd first met all that time ago who'd beaten him at cards. It was hard to reconcile that naïve kid with the person standing before him.

He struck again and again and Nea countered his blows and he realized that just as when he'd accepted Allen's challenge at cards, he didn't stand a chance. Nevertheless there was something absolutely exhilarating about fighting a battle he could not win. He only hoped it would be enough to spare Road's life. They'd grown very close over the years under Nea's reign, as close as siblings could be. He could feel her horror palpable behind him.

He lashed out again and again and somehow made it through Nea's defenses, his hand phasing through the Fourteenth's chest. He grabbed for something, anything. His hand closed down on something soft and he squeezed as hard as he could even though the surprise of the attack was wearing off and his arm was beginning to hurt.

Nea's expression was one of shock and then of satisfaction, even as he gasped and trickle of blood appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"It's a pity it's come to this," Nea said. "I resented you for the longest time before I fully awakened. But over the years, I've since warmed up to you."

"I'm sure," Tyki said grimly. The ache was spreading all up and down his arm now and he could no longer feel his fingers. "I only wished I'd killed you then."

"I'm sure."

Tyki's gaze was fixed on Nea's. The pain in his arm was becoming nearly unbearable. Somewhere behind him, Road was calling his name.

And then there was a strange pressure in his chest. Road screamed. The blood was pounding in his head and Nea was wrenching something free of him, something soft that glistened red and the thought went through his mind that Nea's technique wasn't nearly so clean as his own.

And then Nea's face was no longer in front of him and a comforting coolness rushed up to meet him.

* * *

A dozen candles speared Nea's body. He reached over to pry them loose, cast them aside. Road's vision was blurry. Her gaze was fixed on the figure towering above her, not the limp one in the grass. She followed the attack with several blasts of dark matter energy in rapid succession, a power she rarely used. She'd always thought the candles were prettier.

Something struck her and she found herself on the ground, wheezing. Nea was looking down at her. His expression was hardly different than the one he wore when reprimanding her.

"Allen!" she cried out. But Allen Walker was gone, consumed by the being known as the Fourteenth. She'd known it ever since her dreams had ceased to be able to touch his.

She never expected her plea to be answered.

A blast of energy shot across the lawn and hit Nea in the chest. He staggered. And then Allen Walker was there, the _real_ Allen and Nea was forced to put up an arm to block an attack from that enormous armored hand. A trickle of blood traced the scar below Allen's cursed eye. His teeth were clenched. He looked very different from the young boy Road had first met in the Rewinding City.

"Finally," the Fourteenth said.


	11. Chapter 11

**Here it is, the chapter where everything comes together. Only one more to go.**

* * *

Chapter 11

Kanda's sword dealt the death blow. His head was pounding, tears of blood were leaking from his eyes, as he stared down at Wisely's face which had gone slack, his five eyes dull and lifeless. Krory was unconscious from a particularly severe mental attack. Kuroh was blinking and trying to see though it would be some time before his eyes would work properly again.

Wiping Mugen's blade clean on the grass, Kanda's attention turned to the other battle still raging. Only one Noah was left alive, but she could only watch as Allen battled the Fourteenth and Kanda briefly wondered what would happen if Allen lost. Would Nea cease to be, thereby undoing Allen's death? Would it make any difference at all?

He decided to hold back. This was their battle and whatever the outcome, it would surely be in their favor.

* * *

Allen could only hear the rushing of blood in his ears and the beating of his heart, and his steady breathing. He was working purely on instinct, noting every movement of his opponent, reading him and avoiding the attacks he sent his way. Likewise, every one of his attacks was easily dodged. It was like playing chess with oneself. Allen wondered if it was possible for there to be a winner or if they would simply tire themselves out trying.

He realized that the Fourteenth already knew.

Nea shot another blast of energy at him, singing the hem of his coat. He realized that his left arm was hanging quite useless. But was it because he chose not to use it or because of something else?

"It's interesting to see myself again," Nea said. "Or rather, what I used to be. I remember it only vaguely. I suppose I forgot some of the details."

"Is that why we're fighting?" Allen said. "Surely you didn't forget this night."

"No. I didn't forget this at least."

Allen's mouth drew into a hard line. "Then you know the outcome of this battle."

"I do."

"Then what's the point? Why even come here in the first place? You knew the Noah were going to betray you. You knew about the Rosen Gate. And yet you came here. Why?"

"I'm sure you'll figure it out."

Allen launched a barrage of energy palings at Nea. Several caught at his arms and one tore a hole in his coat. The Fourteenth closed in and snatched Allen's cannon arm with his right hand. Allen instinctively wrenched back, but Nea's hold only tightened.

"You're awakening right now," Nea said, his voice nothing more than a whisper. "The Fourteenth is awakening and you and I both know there is no stopping it."

"I'm not you." Allen fired pointblank into Nea's chest. The Fourteenth winced but Allen saw with dismay that it hadn't been enough.

"You're not strong enough yet," Nea said. "You haven't fully synched with your Innocence. You can barely control it as it is. I am your future. By definition, I am stronger and wiser and know of your every move before you make it."

"But you can't kill me," Allen pointed out, certain.

"No," Nea agreed. "But I can make sure that you awaken."

"That's never going to happen." Allen's voice was firm. "I can feel the Noah inside of me, but I can control him. I won't end up like you."

"Think about it, Allen. Only the Fourteenth can kill the Millennium Earl. Only the Fourteenth can destroy the Noah and bring peace. By killing the Earl, I've already broken the cycle of awakening of the Noah. You can't say what I've done is a bad thing."

"You just wanted to take the Earl's place," Allen said. "That's not the same thing as defeating him. Not when you become the next Earl." He didn't know where this information was coming from, thoughts that sprang up inside him as if they were his own and yet weren't. "You disrupted their order and caused all this chaos since the discovery of the Rosen Gate."

"What about the Colorless King, hmm? I'd say he had quite a hand in it."

"Yet who was it who tried to make an animal spirit into an akuma only to unleash it into the world, combined with human sentience as a way of locating and controlling those with supernatural powers?" The words shocked him even as they left his mouth and even though he had no memory of the act, he knew that it was a thing he had done or rather, would do.

Nea looked genuinely shocked and then he smiled with satisfaction. "Maitora came up with that one. Before he went insane and I had to end him. Apparently akuma react in all manner of strange ways when exposed to the Dresden Slates. Which is why we had to get rid of it in Germany."

Allen shook off this revelation and fired again and again, but each time, Nea simply moved out of the way.

"I told you, Allen. You're not strong enough." As if to demonstrate, Nea leveled his hand at him and shot a bolt of energy. Allen dodged but the bolt cracked against the shields, broke through, and slammed into the side of the Scepter 4 building. There were shouts as a wall collapsed in a heap of rubble and dust. Nea didn't seem to care, throwing out a ring of dark matter energy that shot out in all directions.

Allen was forced back by the blast and his anti-akuma arm burned where it had been hit. When he looked up, he found that all around them, the shields were gone and the force of his attack had cracked open the office building across the street. Blue Clansmen were shouting, getting reorganized in their attempts to contain future attacks.

"What are you doing?" Allen yelled.

"You need to get stronger, Allen!" Nea said and shot another bolt of energy, this time at the bank next to the office building. "You can only defeat me if you awaken."

"What the hell?! Nea, your battle is with me. I'm not humoring you."

Nea lowered his arm and gave Allen a quizzical look. "I expected much more from you. I remember being a fierce fighter even before I left the Order. I remember an uncanny ability to push myself beyond physical limitations."

"Do you really want to die that badly?" Allen growled.

"Heh. I'm just making sure you fulfill your destiny."

Allen scowled. He'd heard enough talk of curses and destiny and what-have-you for a lifetime and frankly, he was sick of it. Changing his weapon from a cannon back into a hand, he swiped at Nea with sharp claws.

"You're closer, anyway," Nea observed.

 _I'd say_ , a voice in his mind answered.

Allen halted. His heart skipped a beat. He had only ever heard the voice in his dreams, but he easily recognized it.

Nea struck him, sent him skidding back on the grass. A strange warmth flowed through him, radiating out from his chest.

 _You're tired, Allen. Let me take over from here._

Allen shook his head and fired at Nea again. He wouldn't let the presence inside of him rule him. He barely understood it himself, only knew that it was there and that it was unwanted. So he continued to strike at Nea, searching for a weak spot, an opening, trying to ignore the increasing presence in his mind.

Pain blossomed in his head and he gasped and for a moment thought that Wisely was back, but no. This was a different sort of pain.

 _Allen, I'd rather you didn't get yourself killed_ , the voice said in his mind. It sounded gentle, almost like it cared.

"He can't risk killing me," Allen muttered, sure of it. At the sound of his voice, Nea smiled. Allen did his best to ignore it. Instead, he focused on that arm which Nea seemed to forget was there.

"You can't use your own anti-akuma weapon, can you?" Allen said in realization. "Not now that you're a Noah."

"Well spotted," Nea said. "It used to work for a little while, until I was too far gone. Almost became a Fallen One." He struck Allen's taloned hand aside.

The touch send a shudder through him and the pain coursed through his whole body, the imagined pain of an exorcist who had betrayed the Innocence inside him. His skin burned and spots of black light burst in front of his eyes. Nea was giving him a look, almost of pity and Allen knew somehow that while he could sense Nea's pain, Nea could sense his own. Perhaps as a result of their meeting when such a meeting went against the laws of nature.

Nea sent another blast of energy sweeping over the ground toward him and he just managed to avoid it even as it struck the side of the building again.

"Stop that!" Allen yelled and somewhere in him, the voice was goading him on and he launched himself at Nea. He ignored the sudden pain that lanced through his ribs. All he wanted at that moment was to kill Nea. He remembered when he'd first met the Earl and when he'd joined the Black Order so that he could defeat the Earl and his evil creations and the Noah who could awaken in perfectly innocent people and take them over and make them evil. That was the worst thing of all, he thought, like a living akuma almost.

Ever since he had turned Mana into an akuma, he'd sworn he wouldn't do it ever again to anyone. He never thought something greater, something darker, would end up growing inside of him. It was becoming harder to control. The Fourteenth in his mind didn't always speak to him, rarely did in fact. But his presence was always there in the back ground, subtly influencing his thoughts and actions and after the dreams he'd had, he was terrified of waking up one morning to find that he was no longer himself, that he was no longer Allen Walker.

The face in front of him, his own but with darker skin and adorned with that cursed crown of thorns represented all that he was trying to defeat. It was very possible he would never be able to quell that darkness inside of him, that the future was set in stone, but he would come to that when he came to it. For now, it was enough to know who the enemy was.

His gray hand closed over Nea's own disfigured arm. The skin was black and smooth. A green light sprang to life around it.

Nea gasped in sudden pain. His arm which had always hung useless at his side now activated and elongated and Allen's own weapon received a surge of strength and he knew that Nea was right. He wasn't fully synchronized with his Innocence, not even close. Feeling the energy emanating from Nea's arm, he knew what true power felt like and also knew what Nea had lost in becoming what he had become.

"You're getting there," Nea said, his voice pained. The trickle of blood at the corner of his mouth was still there and noticing it, Allen saw only a human before him, a human vulnerable to the same injuries and sickness as any other. A human vulnerable to death.

He could no longer distinguish the voice in his head from all the other sounds. The two weapons, his own and Nea's joined hands and Nea's was covered in light and he drew back and there was a flash of something white and black and then he held the weight of a broad, monochrome blade in his hand. Images flashed in his mind of the Earl wielding a similar blade and of himself, older, wiser, cloaked in white feathers and eyes covered by a white mask and looking very much the mournful clown, this very sword in hand and fields of dead akuma at his feet. The voice of the Fourteenth was silent though whether that was because Allen had silenced it or because their voices had become one, he didn't know.

All he knew was the blade he wielded that was both his and wasn't. It shone brilliantly against the darkness.

It sank easily into Nea's chest.

The world that came crashing down around him suddenly halted. Nea gasped and coughed up dark blood that burned Allen's hands. They sank together to the ground, the sword's tip keeping Nea upright against the lawn. His right hand went instinctively to the sword's long handle. The hand was cold against Allen's.

All the strength left Allen in a rush. "You knew this was going to happen." It was a statement.

A small sound escaped Nea's throat. It might have been a laugh or a choke.

"What was all of this for, then?" Allen said. There was a pain in his own heart which beat in sympathy for Nea's.

"It was always your destiny to defeat the Millennium Earl," Nea said. "You've already done that. What is your point in living on?"

"Stop that, I've done nothing." He hated how much Nea looked like himself, even now, a Noah speared through on the lawn. "Besides, you're not going to die."

"Aren't I?" He gasped again and blood oozed from the stigmata and stained his white hair red.

"It'll remove the darkness from you." The words were distant, as if someone else were saying them and yet Allen knew instinctively that it was true. It couldn't be anything but true.

Yet Nea convulsed again and his hand fell to the ground, fist clenching and unclenching, ripping up a handful of grass. He couldn't seem to breathe.

Allen froze, unsure what to do next. "It shouldn't be doing this. It exorcises evil, it doesn't kill."

Now Nea did laugh, a gurgling sound that rose from his collapsed lungs and scraped harshly against his throat. "Do you really think anyone with any goodness left in his heart could have defeated the Millennium Earl?"

Tears were slowly trickling down the sides of Allen's face though he barely felt them. "You knew what would happen and you knew you were going to die," he said, trying to find an answer.

"Looking for death is not the same as goodness. The Fourteenth has awakened in you and now you must destroy the Millennium Earl. It's the only way. Countless attempts have been made to change that future. All of them led to the same tragic end." Allen searched Nea's face but saw only the truth there. One day far in his own future, he might find himself lying in the grass with a sword in his chest and trying to persuade his younger self into going after destiny.

It was not a future he wanted.

Nea gasped and shuddered and then let out a sharp cry of pain and though Allen tried to remove the sword, it didn't budge.

Nea's eyes were unfocused. His skin had lightened and the stigmata had faded, but it wasn't enough. "Thank you, Allen Walker," he said and he might have said more except there was no time for that and anyway, the sword was deactivating and reforming into the black lifeless arm at his side.

Allen bowed his head. Something inside of him felt hollow, like something had died with Nea. Then he stood and the tears were dry and the voice in his mind was a pleasing hum and he looked back toward the destroyed wall of Scepter 4 and he thought about destiny.

* * *

He ached all over from the strain of keeping up the shields and now Munakata was glad to have a rest from all that. Some part of him felt it odd that Scepter 4 should take a support role in the battle, rather than an offensive one, and though Nea had managed to cause plenty of destruction, it would have been worse if not for their efforts. Even now, clansmen were scurrying about helping confused and injured civilians escape from their crumbling buildings. Fortunately, it was night and most of those who worked nearby had been home asleep.

Munakata made his way through the collapsed wall, seeing that no one had been caught there and trapped, and found the Rosen Gate, which didn't have a scratch on it, despite the large crack in one of the walls. The Gate Chamber was in danger of collapsing if they didn't get to repairing the damages soon.

Awashima would be there shortly, along with several others once they'd secured the area and then the Rosen Gate would be destroyed.

It was only with a little surprise that he saw the Gate activate and he turned and found Allen Walker by the controls. Only it wasn't Allen Walker. Not quite Nea, but not Allen either. His eyes were cold and there was dark blood on his hands and his skin was slightly darker than Munakata remembered and his forehead was bleeding.

"I'm going home," he said simply, brooking no argument.

"Where are the other exorcists?" Munakata said.

"They've already been through hell. They don't need to live through it again." Munakata wanted to say something to that but he didn't know what. Allen seemed to have undergone a lifetime of changes in such a short amount of time. He stepped toward the portal. "Destroy the Rosen Gate as soon as I'm gone. Kanda will give you hell about it, but he'll just have to live with it." He only looked back once. "I'm sorry for everything. More so because I'll be seeing you again from another's eyes." Two forces seemed to be warring within him. Then he left.

Munakata moved over to the controls and deactivated the Gate and then stared at it. It really was a beautiful thing and he wondered who had built it, who had spoken that strange language which was etched in careful strokes upon its stone rim. He still held his saber in one hand and waited. It would take several of them to destroy it with the power they had, especially tired after their long night.

He gazed up at the ceiling where he noticed a hole through the crumbling plaster and he wondered how long it would be until sunrise.

The whole widened.

It was only a second before he realized that they'd forgotten something important which had slunk off during the fighting and which had yet to be dealt with.

He only just managed to throw up a shield in time as a horde of pointed candles descended on him. One of them crashed through, slicing his arm.

And then he was in the woods and it was snowing lightly and gray light filtered down through the trees to dapple the frosted ground. His sword was in his hand. Across from him, his aura warm and red, stood Mikoto. He had a cigarette in his mouth, and a fur-lined coat draped over his skinny frame, hands lazily tucked in the pockets of his jeans.

"You regret killing me," Mikoto said or mumbled. Everything he said was mumbled. "Why?"

Munakata was smart enough to know that this, none of this was real, but he could see no easy way out of it and so he only looked at Mikoto and then in the direction of the school. In real life, he could hear the fighting as Scepter 4 and Homra clashed. But now, he could hear nothing. As if he and Mikoto were all that was left.

"I never wanted your death," Munakata finally said. "But you forced my hand, you selfish bastard."

"Heh." A grin formed on Mikoto's face, the kind that betrayed a dry humor, and he closed his eyes for only an instant, agreeing with what Munakata had said. "You saved the students, anyway. From me."

"I wouldn't have had to if you weren't so reckless."

"But that's what happens isn't it? The Colorless King evoked my anger and I used that to get revenge. You've lost people too." The way he said it, it didn't sound like the Mikoto Munakata had known.

"Road," he said finally, a whisper.

"Hmm?"

"Is that you doing this? You've already lost."

"Not yet," Mikoto said. "Not until that Gate is destroyed, but I'll be gone before it is." A tear leaked from the corner of his eye, as out of place as a shark in the desert. "I'm going to get my family back."

"I'm sorry for your family," Munakata said. "But the damage is done. I can't let you change any of it."

"Not even to save your clansmen?"

Munakata breathed out, slowly. "Not even to save them."

Just as he had that day, with the cold of the snow melting into his uniform, footsteps muffled, breathing steady, he rushed forward to plunge the sword into Mikoto's chest.

There was a scream. Red blood splattered onto his coat. Mikoto stood, as casually as ever, eyes meeting Munakata's over Anna's head as the girl gasped and fell to the grass. Munakata backed away.

Blood was spreading across the front of Anna's red dress and the girl looked up at Munakata. Tears were coming freely from her eyes. "If you try to stop me, I'll make sure you feel my pain."

"This isn't real," Munakata said. "Get out of my head."

"The world outside isn't real either!" Anna said. "It can't be. I'm going to rewrite it so that the Earl will never die and then Tyki will live and all of my family. If the world isn't real, if it's some story written by fate or destiny or whatever, I'm going to rewrite it."

"Some things can't be rewritten."

Munakata drew the sword from Anna's chest and plunged it into Mikoto's. He and Anna gasped. Mikoto's eyes met his and he refused to look away, searing the Red King's expression into his memory.

He awoke to the sound of his name and to the crumbling of the ceiling above him and to Road's furious shriek and he stood straight and met her head on. She summoned things from thin air to strike at him, more candles and things from her dreams, broken dolls and chess pieces and black butterflies that fell dead to the ground. All the while she screamed out her rage and grief and her target was the Gate controls which Munakata guarded with his body.

Things scratched him, made it through his defenses and he summoned what power he could to fend her off, his eyes going to the Gate and he knew what he had to do. Awashima's voice was beside him, her sword raised, adding her power to his but he knew it wouldn't be enough and he turned to her and told her his plan and gave her an order and the shock and fear in her eyes would live with him forever.

Nevertheless, she went because deep down, she knew it was the only way too. He gave her fifteen minutes. He was sure he could use enough power within that time frame. He was sure she could get everyone away in time. Some part of him realized that when Nea had destroyed some of the surrounding buildings and forced them to evacuate, that that had been a good thing. Fate maybe.

All he had to do was keep her away from the controls for fifteen minutes.

Every second was a final heartbeat, a final gasp of breath. She turned her tears into daggers which tore at him. Her rage burned him. His power surged through him and burst forth and countered her and he could feel in it the ticking of the seconds as they counted down, slowly but inevitably to the end.

Somewhere, there was a siren. Somewhere, a bell rang. His vision was a wash of blue and static and then an unearthly white.

Above him, something shuddered and crackled and crumbled. And fell.

Munakata's sword snapped. Road flew at the controls. A second too late. The curve of the Rosen Gate's rim filled Munakata's vision, beautiful and smooth and beginning to glow as the alien symbols went a lovely, vivid shade of blue.

Munakata breathed and closed his eyes.

Somewhere between heartbeats, he heard a mumbled voice and then he saw the warm place where the Red King lived.


	12. Epilogue

**Last chapter. Again, thank you to everyone who read and enjoyed this and thanks to jy24 and karina001 for the reviews. It was really fun to write and your feedback is what kept me going when I was feeling the siren call of other stories. So thanks again and here you go.**

* * *

Epilogue

In the end, Kanda never did get to kill Allen. He'd get over it eventually, but for a while at least, it was a sore point with him. And unless someone else found another time portal lying around anywhere, he wouldn't get a second chance.

Curious civilians and police and Homra came to gawk at the crater that was once Scepter 4 and to say to their companions in hushed voices how it was just like that incident fourteen years ago and how it was lucky that no civilians had gotten hurt but it was quite sad about Scepter 4 losing their leader and all that. They would never stay long, especially when they noticed the dark figure with the sword at his back and then they figured they'd seen enough.

There was a funeral overseen by Acting-Captain Awashima. There were more caskets than she would have liked. One for each clansman who had died and a table piled high with flowers that nearly obscured the framed photographs of those whose bodies couldn't be recovered, those who had died in the past.

Fushimi was well enough to attend and stood at Awashima's side during this very subdued affair. After this, there would be meetings with the local law enforcement and the prime minister and their ranks would be sorted out, though who the Slates would choose to be the new Blue King, Awashima hadn't the slightest idea.

As she gazed at the caskets and the photographs and the flowers and felt her throat tighten just a little, she could only think, _Was this truly the only way?_

* * *

Roughly a hundred years ago, Komui, Bak, and a sizable science team captured the Rosen Gate and studied it and deemed it too dangerous to fall back into Noah hands. Shortly after its capture, it shut down for good and nothing anyone did could get it started again. Realizing the reason for the Rosen Gate's hundred year inactivity, they decided to return it to where they knew it needed to be. Under Komui's supervision and in the wake of the akuma attacks on the European and Middle Eastern Branches, the Rosen Gate was buried where Komui knew it wouldn't be disturbed for quite some time.

That operation was one of the final victories the Black Order would have.

When Allen Walker returned to the past, still fighting the presence of Nea inside him, still uncertain, he found that several months had gone by. Headquarters had moved to a new location. Kanda, not yet returned to the future, was still as ornery as ever but not nearly so murderous as he would become after the final battle which Allen knew was coming yet knew he couldn't discuss. After all, what could they change? Their duty first and foremost was to defeat the Millennium Earl. Allen held the weapon to do so in his mind, a weapon which would itself be destroyed a hundred years after its use. Things were looking grim for the Black Order, but the Noah's days were numbered as well.

It would not be an easy path. Central was already experimenting, creating weapons to defeat the Earl by any means necessary, not all of them pleasant. The Noah were going after the generals. Cross was missing.

Allen thought about his anti-akuma weapon and about Nea's and he knew he had to feel that power again. Steeling himself, he returned to his home and to his friends and though they made a point of welcoming him and those who knew what he would become said nothing, he knew he would not be able to stay for much longer.

For the first time in his life, he was truly awake.

* * *

Lenalee stood by the road and gazed regretfully at the ruins of the Scepter 4 building. Krory stood on one side, a bandage wrapped around his head, and Kanda, silent, stood on the other. Miranda was there, cradling the stump of her right arm in her good hand. She had traded in her exorcist's uniform for a light sweater and jeans. She felt it unfair to continue wearing the rose cross, not now after the blow that had taken her hand and her Innocence with it.

An air of uncertainty settled on the group.

"We could help rebuild, I suppose," Krory said.

"Hmm," Lenalee said.

"They never found Road's body," Kanda added.

"Hmm."

"I'm going to see the Bookman," Kanda said. "He's our only connection to the Black Order."

"I want to go with you," Lenalee said.

"No. You need to stay here in case Road shows up again."

"I don't think she will. At least not for a long time. She's lost everything."

"As long as a Noah lives, there needs to be an exorcist here to stop them."

Lenalee studied Kanda's face and nodded. "Alright. Scepter 4 could use some help, anyway."

"I'll go," Miranda said. She wanted so much to be useful.

Kanda looked at her and eventually assented. "Fine."

"How will you get there?" Lenalee's heart ached for all the friends they had left behind in the past and she didn't much like the idea of losing any of the friends who had made that sacrifice with her.

"Something called an airplane," Kanda replied and at Lenalee's perplexed expression, added, "Technology's come a long way in the last hundred years. It won't take nearly as long as a ship."

Lenalee had to accept the fact and breathed out a slight sigh of relief. "When do you leave?"

"I don't know. Soon."

They grew silent and Lenalee couldn't help but think of Allen and the journey he had ahead of him and her heart ached for him. "Whether or not Road decides to make another move, we should try and tell people about us. About the Black Order."

"There is no Black Order."

"Maybe not. But there could be again."

"You mean…resurrect the Black Order?" Krory said.

"Why not? You've seen the Colorless King. There are other dangers in this world besides the Noah. We could help."

"They already have that covered," Kanda said and everyone knew that by _they_ , he meant the clans.

"The Millennium Earl was killed once before," Miranda said. "And he came back. What's to say he won't do it again? Maybe not during our lifetimes, maybe not for hundreds or thousands of years, but one day. I think Lenalee's right. The world needs to be ready for that. We should resurrect the Black Order."

"Resurrect it with three exorcists, an ex-exorcist, and two finders?" Kanda said.

"We'll have to start searching for more Innocence right away," Krory said.

"Where would we start?"

"How did the Black Order detect Innocence to send us after it, anyway?"

Their questions slipped into silence as the four looked at each other, Lenalee with rising excitement, Krory with optimism, Miranda with the feeling that she might not be so useless after all, and Kanda with skepticism.

"We'll figure it out," Lenalee said eventually and cemented the idea.

They were trapped here in this alien time and place, having seen more than their share of death and war, even now gazing upon the aftermath of the most recent. It was a daunting task ahead of them, a fool's errand, perhaps. But maybe, just maybe, this was what they were meant to do all along.

END


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